Moving On
by DragonShadow
Summary: One by one, the Kids Next Door turn 13. But their old life isn't going to let them go without new struggles and discoveries.
1. Operation: FATED

Operation: F.A.T.E.D.  
  
Friendship  
  
And  
  
Time  
  
Evolve  
  
Devotion  
  
The dark night sky sprinkled with some of the brightest stars to shine in a long time didn't do much to calm her frayed nerves. Abigail Lincoln had known this day was coming for a long time, but she hadn't imagined really getting here. She'd imagined staying here in this tree house with her teammates forever... a foolish dream, but one she'd clung to. Now that the reality was here, she felt completely unprepared for it.  
  
"I thought I would find you out here." She turned her head to the side slightly as Nigel Uno walked up beside her, looking up at the night sky. "Only one hour left." He commented.  
  
"I know." Abigail replied. Tomorrow was her thirteenth birthday, and she would be forced to leave the Kids Next Door. "Nothin' lasts forever, I knew it was comin' when I signed on for this."  
  
"But not everything has to end." Nigel told her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and he looked down the side of the tree house. Neither of them was too good at being open and speaking from the heart like Kuki. "I mean, even if you can't be one of the Kids Next Door anymore, you'll still have our support if you need it."  
  
"Thanks anyway, but like you said once, bein' a grown-up means takin' care of yourself." She reached into her sweater and took out a candy bar, pulling the wrapping open. She took a bite, staring down at the street far below. She moved to take another bite, then stopped and let it drop to the ground far below with a soft sigh.  
  
"It seems like just the other day we were busy celebrating your eleventh birthday..." Nigel shook his head. "Where has all the time gone?"  
  
"Where all time goes I s'pose." Abigail smirked and looked over at her lifelong friend. "I should go finish packin' my stuff up for tomorrow." She turned to leave, but Nigel stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I'll come help." He offered. Abigail nodded and they walked through the Kids Next Door base to her bedroom. There were already suitcases full of clothing and personal items scattered around the room, but there were still various pieces of clothing and items scattered around here and there.  
  
They gathered up her things in silence and stuffed them in the one remaining suitcase. They moved rather slowly however. They were in no rush to get it done. The sooner they finished, the sooner she would be gone from this tree house forever. They stopped completely when everything was gathered up and it was time to close the suitcase.  
  
Abigail turned and walked to the window, where she stared up at the moon with a slight smirk on her face. "I wonder if thinkin' weird things is a part of growin' up? If it is, I don't like it."  
  
"What are you thinking about?" Nigel sat down on the bed, watching her.  
  
"Some philosophical crap about the moon mostly." She shook her head. "I can't believe I'm thinkin' like one of my teachers now." She and Nigel both gave a small chuckle. "How it comes up for a while, and then goes back down to let the sun take over for a while. 'Cuz when they're up at the same time the moon is covered up, y'know."  
  
"And you're thinking, you're like the moon. About to set and let a sun take over." Nigel guessed. Abigail sighed and nodded, not looking back at him. "But that's not the case at all." He walked up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "If anything you've always been a sun, lighting the way for all the rest of us."  
  
"You'll be fine without me. I should just get over it and find a new life." Abigail sighed and lowered her head, with her shoulders beginning to shake slightly. Nigel didn't know what to say, so he stood silently with his hands on her shoulders.  
  
Suddenly the floor beneath them rocked hard, throwing them both to the ground with Abigail on top of Nigel. "What the blazes was that!?" She exclaimed.  
  
"I don't know..." Nigel replied. Suddenly the ground shifted again, hard enough to roll them across the floor. "Come on, let's go find out!" When the earth stopped moving they lunged to their feet and ran out to the main section of the Kids Next Door base, where Wallabee Beatles, Kuki Sanban, and Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. were at the main computer. "What on Earth is going on around here!?"  
  
"There's nothing around the base, nothing in the air. There's nothing nearby causing it." Wallabee replied.  
  
"We think something is still making the earth shake though. Hoagie added. The earth lunged again, throwing them all to their feet. "Yep, something is DEFINITELY making the earth shake."  
  
"Thanks for the news flash Numbuh 2." Abigail snapped as the ground once again threw them to the floor.  
  
"Whatever's doing this, it has to be underground somewhere." Nigel announced as he stumbled back to his feet. "Kids Next Door, battlestations!" He shouted.  
  
"Right!" The others replied instantly.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
[Kids Next Door Vehicle: E.A.R.T.H.M.O.V.E.R.  
  
Extremely  
  
Accurate  
  
Revolving  
  
Triple  
  
Hydro  
  
Mechanical  
  
Oscillating  
  
Voluntary  
  
Earth  
  
Rider]  
  
The Kids Next Door dug into the ground as fast as possible, with the three drills on the front of their machine digging through the ground like a knife through a piece of cheese. The earth still shook occasionally, but their Earthmover was more than able to keep going regardless. The kids inside didn't fare so well however. They were forced to hold onto anything within reach.  
  
"Do you see anything Numbuh 2?" Nigel asked.  
  
"Rocks... and I think I see a root over there." Hoagie pointed to one side of the front windshield where a root was stuck in the glass. He turned around in his seat to look up at his leader. "It doesn't look like there's anything down here Numbuh 1." The earth rumbled again, throwing the kids around like balls in a pinball machine.  
  
"I'm getting seasick..." Kuki moaned from the floor, putting one hand over her mouth.  
  
"This is getting ridiculous." Numbuh 4 growled as he crawled back up to his seat. "Earthquakes with no apparent source centered right around our base. It's unbelievable."  
  
"That's exactly why they have to have a source Numbuh 4. There's literally no chance of these earthquakes popping up right around our base without a cause. We keep looking." Nigel ordered. They all froze when they heard the sound of metal digging into metal. The hull of their Earthmover started vibrating violently, throwing them around.  
  
"What is that...?" Kuki's face was green, and she was clearly struggling to keep from throwing up right there in the vehicle.  
  
"The drills!" Hoagie looked through the windshield, to see them scraping against a piece of metal in front of them. "They hit a pipe, but they're not designed to go through metal!"  
  
"Stop them, before we-" Nigel was cut off when the pipe in front of them collapsed, sending the Earthmover hurtling downward into the shaft. The three drills impaled themselves on the steel floor, holding the Earthmover at a 90 angle to the floor. The kids flew forward onto the windshield, piled on top of each other in a big, moaning heap. "Fall... through..." Nigel groaned.  
  
Suddenly the window shattered under their weight, dropping them onto the pipe floor in a heap. "Ugh... sorry..." Kuki muttered from somewhere in the heap.  
  
"Eeeewe..." Abigail and Wallabee groaned in unison. Slowly the children untangled themselves and the two soiled children wiped themselves clean.  
  
Hoagie looked up at the wrecked vehicle and shook his head. "We just can't keep a digging machine working can we?"  
  
"Better it than us I say." Wallabee commented.  
  
"This pipe looks like it's been polished up recently, but last time I checked it was abandoned." Nigel commented. "This place must have something to do with the earthquakes."  
  
"But I don't see any machines." Hoagie pointed out. "How could they cause an earthquake with an empty tube?" The others all sat in silence for a moment, trying to think. Suddenly Kuki perked one ear curiously.  
  
"Does anyone else hear something?" She asked. The others all listened, and soon heard a rumbling in the distance. "Is it another earthquake? I don't think my stomach can take any more..."  
  
"That's no earthquake... that's a sound wave comin' down the tunnel." Abigail replied. "We better get to cover."  
  
"A sound wave? What's so bad about that?" Wallabee asked.  
  
"You know that echoing noise you hear when you yell in a big empty room? Imagine that multiplied by about a million." Abigail replied.  
  
"That's bad." Hoagie commented.  
  
"Quick, everyone behind the Earthmover!" Nigel shouted. The Kids Next Door darted behind the vehicle and hunkered down just before the sound wave passed over them. A boom washed over them that sounded like a million jet engines igniting at the same time, even with their hands over their ears. The ground shook violently around them, only adding to the extreme noise that bombarded their sense.  
  
Finally the sound subsided and the Kids Next Door risked unblocking their ears. They looked around in confusion, then all jumped up in celebration. They could see each others' mouths moving, but none of them could hear anything. Kuki started screaming in a panic, but Abigail grabbed her shoulder.  
  
She shook her finger reproachfully and gestured for them to go down the tunnel. The others looked at Nigel, who nodded in consent and started down the tunnel with the others following him. They couldn't hear each other, which was bad... but they couldn't hear the sound waves either, which was probably what saved them since the ground shook several more times beneath their feet.  
  
They finally reached the end of the tunnel, which opened up into a huge domed room with a machine in the center that looked like a satellite dish. Nigel signaled for them to get to a side room, so they found a closet and shut themselves inside.  
  
"Can anyone else hear yet?" He asked. He sounded like he was whispering, even to himself, but at least he could hear at all.  
  
"WHAT?" Kuki shouted.  
  
"SSSHHHH!" Abigail clamped her hand over Kuki's mouth. "Do you wanna get us caught?"  
  
"WHAT?" Hoagie asked.  
  
Finally Nigel signaled for them all to shut up again while he peeked out the door to make sure nobody had heard them. "Okay, there's one exit to this room, we make a break for it and find out who's behind this." He slapped one hand over Kuki's mouth before she could speak again. Then he made little hand signals as he spoke. "We go to door softly. See who made the earth shake. Okay?" The others nodded. "Okay, let's go."  
  
They crept out of the closet and made for the exit, finally escaping the sound waves and creeping into a much smaller hallway. They walked down the hall side by side until them emerged into a larger chamber with a series of steps leading up to five thrones, though they were all empty.  
  
"Five guesses who those belong to." Wallabee smirked.  
  
"The Delightful Children From Down the Lane. I should have known." Nigel said. "But where are they? It's not like them to not stick around to see how their plans turn out."  
  
"Hey, look over here." Kuki shouted from another door off to their right. The others walked up and saw a staircase leading upward. "Where do you think it goes?"  
  
"Probably to the Delightful Children's mansion." Abigail replied. "But we don't need to deal with them. I say we go back, blow that sound wave generator, collapse the tube, and go home."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me, but with the Earthmover destroyed we need to find an alternate exit." Nigel replied. "Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 4, get to work looking for a way out that doesn't take us to the Delightful Children. Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5, you see if you can set the sound waver generator to explode and collapse the tunnel. I'll head up these stairs and make sure the Delightful Children don't interfere."  
  
"Hey, let me do that." Abigail interjected.  
  
"What? Why?" Nigel asked in surprise.  
  
"You're better with that technical stuff than I am. I'd rather be doin' somethin' more interestin'." Abigail replied.  
  
"Alright, you head up the stairs and make sure the Delightful Children don't come down. We'll signal you when we're ready to make our escape." Nigel handed her a Walkey Talkey in the shape of a Rainbow Monkey. She quirked one eyebrow. "Numbuh 3 was in charge of their design."  
  
"Right." She grabbed it and stuffed it into her sweater. "I'll see you guys in a little while." She turned to walk up the stairs, leaving the others downstairs to go about their assigned tasks. She walked for what seemed like half an hour before she finally reached the top. Her legs were aching and she was panting, but otherwise she was fine.  
  
She stepped out into a large, luxurious room with soft pastel lights of different colors surrounding the room. "Funny, this doesn't look like the normal Delightful Children kinda place." She stepped out into the room, looking around.  
  
"That's because it's not ours, Abigail." She whirled when she heard the voices of the Delightful Children from Down the Lane coming down from a balcony right above her. "This place actually belonged to our uncle, who owned a drilling company a while back. But that's not relevant now."  
  
"I don't care who this place belonged to. And it's Numbuh 5 to you, chumps." Abigail shot back.  
  
"Is it? Aren't you a little old to still be playing childish games?" The Delightful Children pointed at the wall behind her. She turned around, and gasped when she saw a large clock on the wall. Its hands read 12:15... it was past midnight. She was thirteen years old. "The Kids Next Door will kick you out of their group no matter what you do here tonight."  
  
"I knew that when I joined, but at least I did what I could to help children everywhere, unlike you." Abigial snapped.  
  
"All that effort and what has it gotten you?" The Delightful Children moved to a lift beside the balcony and slowly descended toward the ground. "You will be pushed aside and forgotten just because you're too old."  
  
"Shut up!" Abigail yelled.  
  
"You know it's true. The Kids Next Door will forget about you, and find someone else who fits their ideals better. And you call us cruel." The delightful children smirked. "It's really rather humorous."  
  
"What are you tryin' to do? Because it ain't workin'." Abigail growled.  
  
The Delightful Children stepped off the lift when it reached the ground and approached her. "We're offering you a chance to join us Abigail. The Delightful Children from Down the Lane never forget a friend, and we never replace them." All five of them put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "We'd be with you forever."  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"One more moment Numbuh 1, and this thing will be ready to blow." Hoagie said as he worked on the sound generator. They were both wearing headsets with padding to keep the waves from blowing out their eardrums, but the sound was still quite painful. They couldn't risk shutting it off however, or they might alert someone to the fact that they were there. "Got it!" Hoagie shouted.  
  
Nigel moved one of the earpieces of his headset so he could put the Rainbow Monkey walkey talkey to his ear. "Numbuh 4, we're ready here, how about you two?" He waited a few moments for a reply, but none came. "Numbuh 4? Are you there?" He tapped a few buttons and put it to his ear again. "Numbuh 3? Is anybody there?"  
  
"I don't like this Numbuh 1." Hoagie shook his head.  
  
"Agreed, we have to find out what's going on." Nigel put the walkey talkey away and turned to head into the room beyond with Hoagie following behind him. They both stopped when they entered and saw the Delightful Children from Down the Lane sitting in the five thrones, each grinning ear to ear.  
  
"What's going on here?" Nigel asked. He looked to the side and noticed that Wallabee and Kuki were already attached to the wall with thick chains over their wrists and stomachs.  
  
"What does it look like, Numbuh 1?" The Delightful Children retorted with a grin. "Your Kids Next Door are being rounded up one by one. You're all that are left."  
  
"You're wrong. Numbuh 5 is still around somewhere, and she'll save us no matter what you do..." As Nigel spoke steel chains came out of the walls to pin him and Hoagie beside their teammates.  
  
"You mean, the former Numbuh 5?" The Delightful Children turned their head slightly to the side. The Kids Next Door followed their gazes until they saw Abigail standing in the far corner with her back to the proceedings. "We're afraid Abigail Lincoln won't be coming you your aid anymore."  
  
"Numbuh 5... what's going on?" Kuki shouted. "You have to help us!"  
  
"Come on Numbuh 5, get these annoying Delightful Children and teach them a lesson!" Wallabee shouted.  
  
"I'm not Numbuh 5 anymore." Abigail said over her shoulder, not looking at them. "It's past midnight... I'm thirteen. I can't be part of the Kids Next Door anymore..." She lowered her head.  
  
"No..." Kuki muttered. "But Abby, we need you!"  
  
"Numbuh 5, I order you to help us!" Nigel shouted desperately. Abigail didn't respond at all however.  
  
"Isn't it ironic Numbuh 1, that your own strict policies regarding employment would lead to your eventual destruction? After all, if it wasn't for her, we might never have known you were here." The Delightful Children chuckled in that same uniform monotone they always used. "Now, who should we eliminate first? Well, the answer is obvious." They each pointed a strange device at Nigel.  
  
"Abigail... listen to me." Nigel shouted forcefully. "You're not part of the Kids Next Door anymore, but that doesn't mean we're going to forget about you."  
  
"Yeah!" Kuki chimed in. "We liked you because you were our friend, not because you were a part of the team! We love you!"  
  
"Eh... what she said." Wallabee grumbled.  
  
"Yeah they're right. We hung out with you because you were our friend, not because you're a member of the team!" Hoagie exclaimed.  
  
"I know you don't want to watch this happen Abigail." Nigel said softly. Abigail turned her head slightly to the side. "Part of the team or not, you'll always be important, to all of us." She turned around to face him directly. He was staring at her over the rims of his sunglasses, looking completely serious and open for the first time. "Without you... we would have no light."  
  
"Very amusing Kids Next Door, but we're getting impatient." The Delightful Children each pressed a button on their weapons, making them whir with energy. "Say goodbye, Numbuh 1."  
  
Suddenly Abigail grabbed the wrist of the one wearing the football helmet on the far right. They all looked at her in surprise. "Get away from my friends..." She grabbed his weapon and back fisted him, sending him flying down from the thrones. She took aim and fires the weapon, tearing apart all of the other kids' weapons since they were lined up perfectly.  
  
"Yeah, go Abby!" Kuki shouted happily.  
  
"You fool, it doesn't matter." The Delightful Children said together. "It's still five against one, you cannot escape."  
  
"Now Numbuh 2." Nigel said. Hoagie nodded and pressed a button that popped out of his sleeve. They all heard the explosion from the other room. It was powerful enough to send ripples of sound into this room, and collapse the wall the other four Kids Next Door members were chained to. They were buried under the rubble from the wall as the dust obscured everything.  
  
"The tunnel is collapsing!" The Delightful Children shouted in unison. They all ran for the stairs that spiraled up toward the upper level. "Goodbye Kids Next Door, we hope not to meet again." They locked the door and turned to begin their ascent away from danger.  
  
"Guys!" Abigail ran down the steps to start digging through the rubble furiously. "Come on, I'm supposed to leave the Kids Next Door before you do!" She exclaimed. Finally she caught site of Nigel's arm, so she redoubled her efforts and soon had him dug out completely. He had scratches all over his body, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.  
  
"Thank you Num... Abigail." Nigel said softly. Abigail smiled slightly as the others dug their way out of the rubble. The ground was beginning to shake more and more with each second.  
  
"I thought we destroyed that ruddy machine!" Wallabee shouted over the rumble.  
  
"We did, but it was also supposed to trigger a tunnel collapse!" Hoagie shouted back.  
  
"I hope you found a way out Numbuh 3!" Nigel shouted.  
  
"This way!" Kuki turned and darted into another side passage with the others following behind her. The ground was shaking so furiously it was difficult even to see properly, but Kuki seemed to have thoroughly mapped the place out in her head. She took them through a maze of tunnels, but some of them had already begun to collapse in on themselves.  
  
Finally after what seemed like an eternity they emerged into what looked like an old subway system. They were just in time too, for the tunnel collapsed right after they fell to their knees on the railroad tracks. Nobody said anything for several minutes, but both Kuki and Hoagie put their hands on each of Abigail's shoulders.  
  
"I'm sorry guys..." Abigail began.  
  
"We'll sort it all out when we get home." Nigel interrupted as he stood up from the track. "It's very late... and I'll sure we could all use a good night's rest." Nobody argued with that sentiment.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Abigail was sitting on her bed in her bathrobe, looking around at her now mostly empty room in the Kids Next Door headquarters. She felt like an outsider now, she shouldn't be here, she should be in her bed at home. The Kids Next Door headquarters was a place for Kids Next Door... not for her...  
  
She looked up when she heard her door creak open. "Mind if I come in?" Nigel asked. Abigail shrugged and gestured for him to come in. He slipped in and closed the door behind him before moving to sit beside her on the bed. They sat in silence for a moment before Abigail spoke.  
  
"You know... I actually did want to join the Delightful Children from Down the Lane for a while there..." Abigail confessed softly. "I was... just so..."  
  
"I know..." Nigel put one arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently. "You were angry... you felt betrayed... like we were throwing you away." She looked up at him. "Every Kids Next Door operative who turns thirteen feels the same way." He pulled his sunglasses off and looked down into her eyes. "But very few of them ever forgive the Kids Next Door like you did."  
  
"Lucky me..." Abigail sighed. Suddenly she leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. He ran his hand along her back, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. "Do all of the other operatives try to join their friends' greatest enemies?"  
  
"No... but after hearing you tell what they said... I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing." He stroked her arm, staring at the opposite wall. Without warning Abigail stood up and walked to the window, where the moon and stars were now alone in the deep black sky. Nigel stood up and followed her, putting his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Y'know... I didn't come back because of the team, or any friendship..." She said.  
  
"Then why did you?" Nigel asked.  
  
"It was what we talked about... the moon and the sun..." She blinked and turned around to look into his eyes. "With them I might have had friends forever... but I wouldn't have been a moon OR a sun, just a star... one of many."  
  
"That would be a pity." Nigel commented, putting his hand on her cheek. "You're capable of shining too bright to be contained within a mere star." Nigel told her comfortingly. Abigail shook her head and looked down at the floor again.  
  
"I don't feel like much of anything." She said.  
  
"You'll find something... I'm sure you will Num... Abigail." Nigel smiled and pulled her into a gentle hug, rubbing her back. "You've always been the brightest one of us... you'll be just fine I'm sure." He pushed her back slightly, staring into her eyes over his sunglasses. "Just don't forget all this time we've spent together... remember it. And treasure it."  
  
"I will." Abigail nodded sincerely. "I couldn't forget it if I wanted to." Nigel nodded and patted her shoulders one more time before turning to leave. "Yo..." He stopped and turned around again. "What do you plan to do, once you're too old to be a Kids Next Door operative?"  
  
"I haven't really thought about it." Nigel admitted. "I guess the best answer is... be what I am." He smiled and turned to leave, leaving Abigail sitting against her windowsill alone. She sighed and turned to stare out the window, lost in thought.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The following morning Abigail found herself standing next to the entrance of the tree house, facing all of her soon-to-be former teammates. Kuki looked like she was on the verge of going into a nervous breakdown, though she tried valiantly to hide her tears. Wallabee looked aloof and uncaring with his arms across his chest, but his eyes were constantly downcast. Hoagie seemed to be taking it the best of all of them, even if his bottom lip kept quivering against his will.  
  
Nigel tried to be as formal as possible while he gave the speech that thanked her for her years of service and commitment to the Kids Next Door. She could tell that he was just barely keeping up his front however. After last night she was able to notice the little things, like his finger twitching ever so slightly or his voice quaking every now and again.  
  
"So... Abigail Lincoln, Numhbuh 5..." Nigel paused to gulp. "I hereby declare that... that you are free from the commitment of the Kids Next Door... that you should go on to the world... become what you will... and always... always remember these days. For these... these are the days when we fought... together... for what we all believed in." He blinked and shook his head, trying to clear the tears from his eyes that were hidden by his sunglasses.  
  
"Now... we should hear some words from her former teammates..." Nigel stepped back to let Kuki rush forward.  
  
"Abby I'll miss you I'll miss you I'll miss you!" Kuki grabbed her and hugged her tightly, crying into her chest uncontrollably. Abigail smiled slightly and stroked her hair in a comforting manner. "Things just won't be the same around here... it'll be so lonely. Wallabee's mean, why can't he have to leave instead of you?"  
  
Seeing that Kuki was finished speaking since she was too busy crying into Abigail's shirt, Wallabee stepped forward. "Well... what can I say really? You've been a help to all of us... and I guess in a way... an inspiration... but not in any important way." He stepped back the same way he stepped forward.  
  
Hoagie opened his mouth to speak, then burst into tears and charged at her, pulling her into a massive bear hug. He also caught Kuki inadvertently, so he wound up squishing the two girls together. "It really won't be the same around here Abby... I hope you come around as much as possible..." He sniffled and released them to run into another part of the tree house, crying.  
  
"Wuss..." Wallabee muttered before he turned away from them to wipe at his eyes furiously with one sleeve.  
  
Abigail stumbled, trying to regain her breath and her sense of balance after Hoagie had squeezed both right out of her. Kuki had fallen to the floor panting. When Abigail regained her senses she noticed that Nigel had stepped forward, but hadn't said anything.  
  
Finally Nigel opened his mouth, not looking at her. "I knew you before we became Kids Next Door operatives. Since back then you've always looked out for me, and I've looked out for you." He finally looked up, looking at her over the rim of his sunglasses. "I can only hope that... now that we cannot be teammates anymore... we'll continue to be able to rely on each other."  
  
Abigail smiled and grabbed his hand. "'Till ice can burn." She said. Nigel smiled back and nodded. He squeezed her hand slightly harder than should have been appropriate before he stepped back into his role as the leader of the Kids Next Door.  
  
"Now... Abigail... as the official spokesman of the Kids Next Door organization... I bid you goodbye, and the best of luck in everything you do in the future... unless it involved subjugating children." Nigel said.  
  
Abigail smirked and shook her head. "I'll keep that in mind." With that, all of the formalities were done, she was no longer a part of the Kids Next Door. "Well... I guess I'll hit the road huh? Have a lot of unpacking to do at my house."  
  
"Goodbye Abby..." Kuki waved sadly as Abigail turned to leave the Kids Next Door tree house. Wallabee refused to look at her lest he break down like everyone else. Nigel stood up straight and gave her a solid salute.  
  
Abigail kept walking, not wanting to look back. Her childhood was officially over in more ways than one. It was time to take on the world on its own terms. She didn't know if she could do it, but she knew better than to give up. She would do everything she possibly could... because the possibilities for the future truly were endless.  
  
THE END 


	2. Operation: FERAL

Operation: F.E.R.A.L.  
  
Ferocity  
  
Eternally  
  
Reveals  
  
Almighty  
  
Love  
  
Three weeks after Abigail Lincoln had been forced to leave the Kids Next Door, yet another big birthday was coming up. Wallabee Beatles was wholly unprepared for the event, which was coming up in just a few days' time. The others seemed to be acting pretty morose as well, avoiding eye contact with him and speaking only through short, gruff phrases. Kuki seemed the hardest hit of them all. Her typical cheerfulness had turned into a silent, brooding depression.  
  
"Numbuh 4, I wanted to speak with you." Nigel's voice said from behind him. Wallabee turned around in the main living room of the Kids Next Door's home base of operations. Hoagie and Kuki were still asleep, and Abigail hadn't returned since her birthday three weeks ago.  
  
"Yeah? What about?" Wallabee asked grumpily.  
  
"I know we're all dreading your birthday coming up soon, but Abby's was so hard on everyone... I was thinking yours could be a more lighthearted affair." Nigel suggested.  
  
"Sorry Numbuh 1, I don't feel very jolly right now." Wallabee replied gruffly. "Not in the mood for a swinging party."  
  
Nigel sighed and shook his head. "Look Numbuh 4, we don't like this any more than you do, but you know as well as I do that you can't be one of the Kids Next Door if you're not a kid anymore."  
  
"I get it!" Wallabee snapped angrily. "I know the rules Numbuh One! Just... bah, get out of my way." He pushed Nigel aside and stalked away down the hall, leaving the leader of the group behind. He didn't know why he was so angry, he'd known this was inevitable since he'd watched Abigail leave. Still, he couldn't believe the time was almost here...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"One-by-one the Kids Next Door are being forced to leave..." The Delightful Children from Down the Lane watched their father, who was watching a surveillance tape from the underground tunnel incident. "But they'll be replaced sooner or later... and then their replacements will be replaced, and they will be replaced as well." He put a hand on his chin, deep in thought. "I must cut off the head of the organization now."  
  
"Should we destroy the Kids Next Door, father?" The Delightful Children asked in unison. "We could use another one of your machines."  
  
"No..." Father replied with a wry grin. He stopped when he heard a voice over the small intercom on the arm of his chair.  
  
"Your guest is here." The voice informed him.  
  
"Let him in." Father replied. The Delightful Children exchanged a quick glance before turning as one to watch a familiar figure walk into the large throne room. The Common Cold walked up to the foot of the tall throne, looking up at Father through bloodshot eyes.  
  
"I don't usually take jobs..." The Common cold said wearily, looking over his shoulder. The Delightful Children noted that there were several guards standing by the door watching him. Obviously, the Common Cold had not come here as a guest. "I go to the meetings, but I work alone."  
  
"And that is why you're such a failure." Father replied. The Delightful Children chuckled while the Common Cold huffed angrily. "I want you to deliver this for me... you could infect one of the Kids Next Door without their even being aware of it. By the time they realize... it will be too late." Father tossed the smaller villain a small vial.  
  
The Common Cold looked down at it curiously, then back up at Father. "What is it?"  
  
"A little something I cooked up for Numbuh 1. Use your unique... 'talents' to get it into his bloodstream. The virus will do the rest." Father said simply.  
  
"What do I get out of this?" The Common Cold asked.  
  
"You get to survive if you do this right." Father replied simply. The Common Cold looked back at the well-built and well-armed guards that had brought him in. "I think you understand what the cost of failure will be."  
  
"I'll do it..." the Common Cold agreed. Father gestured for him to leave, an opportunity which the smaller villain took with much enthusiasm. The Delightful Children looked up at their pleased-looking father.  
  
"With any luck, Numbuh 1 will take care of our little problem for us." He stood up and walked down the steps, looking down at his children. "But I don't believe in luck. Go make sure that simpleton doesn't mess everything up. If he infects Numbuh 1, then the Kids Next Door's own leader will destroy the entire base for us. The rest of the organization will be disillusioned by one of their greatest leader's betrayal... it will dissolve overnight."  
  
"We won't let you down father." The Delightful Children replied as one before they turned to leave, cackling amongst themselves at the thought of what they were about to witness.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The remaining four Kids Next Door were gathered in the kitchen, munching silently on bowls of cereal. Wallabee looked around the table slowly. Nigel seemed lost in deep thought, staring into his bowl as if it would give him the answer to a burning question. Hoagie was stuffing his face as fast as he could, probably as an excuse to avoid eye contact with Wallabee. Kuki was swirling her spoon around in her bowl, her face uncharacteristically downcast.  
  
"Alright you guys, I've seen enough of this." Wallabee exclaimed. The others looked up at him in surprise. "This is getting downright depressing. I'm not spending the rest of my time as one of the Kids Next Door staring at the top of your cruddy heads."  
  
"Sorry Numbuh 4..." Hoagie replied apologetically. "It's just hard to believe that it's all happening. First Abby, now you... my birthday is only a month after yours."  
  
Nigel nodded in acknowledgement. "And mine two weeks after that. We're all on our way out the door... but that's all the more reason to stay on focus and dedicated to the task at hand. There's two ways to leave this organization, with pride or with shame. How will we go?"  
  
"With pride!" Wallabee and Hoagie banged their fists on the table energetically. Kuki looked around at them silently, then turned around and slid off the bench to head into the back section of the tree house. The three boys watched, each with a measure of discomfort.  
  
"Man, she's really taking this rough." Wallabee noted.  
  
"Why don't you go talk to her Numbuh 4?" Nigel suggested.  
  
"What? Why me?" Wallabee complained.  
  
"Because it's your birthday that has her so depressed." Nigel pointed out. Wallabee grumbled in defeat and slid off of his own seat, following Kuki into the back. He found her in her bedroom, covered in a pile of stuffed animals and creatures of all shapes and sizes. Only her head stuck out of the pile, staring up at the ceiling with a blank expression on her face.  
  
Wallabee had no idea what to say, but luckily Kuki spoke first with a gentle voice for the first time in over a week. "Why does it all have to end Numbuh 4?" She asked rhetorically. "I don't want things to change anymore... I don't want you to have to leave. We can change the rules..."  
  
"Not likely." Wallabee replied now that he had a topic to discuss. "I wouldn't want them to change the rules anyway. If they let adults into the Kids Next Door... it would just be a mess." He walked deeper into the room. Kuki turned her head to look at him, resting her cheek on the floor.  
  
"I just don't understand. We've been doing this for a long time, and we're supposed to just let it end in a single night? We haven't changed anything... we haven't done anything important. What have we been doing?" Kuki asked worriedly. Wallabee wasn't used to hearing her talk like this, she was usually so carefree. Nor was he able to come up with any answers, so he shook his head and sat down beside her head.  
  
"Beats me." Wallabee replied. "But try not to get too down about it. Thinking about it just gets depressing, so just enjoy what we do." He smiled slightly, speaking almost more to himself than her. She was still staring up at him, her eyes wet with moisture. "I will if you will, deal?" He held his hand out to her. She looked at it, then pulled one of her arms out of her animal pile to take his hand.  
  
He pulled her out of the animals and hefted her to her feet. She flashed him a sad smile before the alarm went off and the lights began flashing red. "What the Hell?" They both ran out to the main living area, where Nigel and Hoagie were looking out the window and scratching their heads. "What, nobody out there?" Wallabee asked.  
  
"No, there's someone. I just can't believe what he's doing." Nigel pointed. Wallabee and Kuki walked up to the window to see The Common Cold standing on the grass, spraying his mucus all over the trunk of the tree as if it were acid. It accomplished nothing and only made him look insane.  
  
"Maybe he's cracked up after all this time?" Hoagie suggested.  
  
"Or he thinks that Numbuh 5's absence will leave us weaker than before." Nigel figured. "Well we should prove him wrong, and prove it to all the other adults in town too. Kids Next Door, battle stations!" The four children ran into the back, then emerged with weapons of varying makes and models strapped to their bodies.  
  
They emerged from the treehouse onto an upper balcony and pointed their weapons down at the intruder. Nigel spoke. "Okay Common Cold, I don't know what you think you're doing, but it stops now." Wallabee cocked his mustard gun to illustrate this point.  
  
"Kids Next Door, oh no, what should I do?" The Common Cold asked sarcastically.  
  
"That's right, you better be scared!" Wallabee grinned. Hoagie looked around, then looked at Nigel worriedly.  
  
"Something doesn't feel right." Hoagie commented. The others looked at him. "It feels like something's missing."  
  
"Missing? Like what?" Nigel asked.  
  
"I can't put my finger on it but it feels like... it..." Hoagie stopped when a shadow covered the Kids Next Door. They looked up slowly, to see a huge spider-like machine perched on top of their machine. "Of course! Last time we fought The Common Cold he had a giant mechanical robot with him! I thought he'd get a new one!"  
  
"Kids Next Door scatter!" Nigel screamed as the machine sprayed down a river of mucus on top of them. The kids ran along the side of the treehouse, running for any door they could find. Wallabee was running beside Nigel. He cast a glance down at their main opponent in time to see him load something into his mucus gun before firing it at Nigel.  
  
"Look out Numbuh 1!" Wallabee whirled and slammed himself into Nigel, knocking him out of the way. A pile of mucus slammed into his face, getting in his nose and mouth. He collapsed to the floor, trying to cough it up. "Eugh... that's disgusting!" He grunted.  
  
"Numbuh 4!? No, no!" The Common Cold screamed fearfully. "Oh nonono... what do I do!?" He ran around the grass in a panic, clutching his head. "I can't go back having failed my mission!"  
  
Nigel ran to the edge of the deck. "What did you do to Numbuuuuuggggghhhhhhh fffffoooooooooo..." Wallabee tried to blink his vision clear as the sound around him seemed to mute. His eyesight went black moments before he collapsed on the wooden floor.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The next day Kuki still remembered how she felt when she'd come around the bend, seeing Wallabee passed out on the deck covered in mucus. Her heart had stopped for an instant, so afraid she'd lost him far sooner, and far more completely, than she'd expected. The Common Cold had retreated moments later for some reason, rambling about failed missions and punishments.  
  
Nigel had checked over Wallabee, and found nothing wrong with him that he could see. Just a few bits of cold bacteria in his system, which was to be expected. Still, this assurance didn't calm Kuki down. She sat beside his bed, staring at him and just waiting for him to speak, grab her hand, twitch an eyelid, anything.  
  
"Come on Numbuh 4..." She begged him even though he was asleep. "Wake up, we only have two days left..." she reached forward to shake his shoulders. "Wake up!" She yelled in his ear to no avail. She sniffled and sat back again, wiping her nose with the back of her oversized sleeve. "I still don't get anything..." She grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently. "Help me..."  
  
"We're ordering pizza Numbuh 3." Hoagie told her from the door to Wallabee's bedroom. "Do you want us to order you anything?" Kuki furiously wiped her eyes before looking back at him, though she knew her eyes were still bloodshot.  
  
"No, I'm not hungry." Kuki replied, flashing him a light smile. Hoagie nodded and left without another word, leaving her alone with Wallabee again. She turned to stare down at him, wiping her eyes with her oversized sleeve again. "Wake uuuuup!" She cried, burying her face in his chest. She sobbed into his chest, clutching his sweater tightly.  
  
Suddenly she felt a hand grab her hair. She winced from the pain as she was yanked off of his chest. She gasped when she saw him staring at her with an angry, wild snarl on his face. "Numbuh 4...?" She asked fearfully. He jumped up and yanked her hair back, flinging her into the nightstand beside his bed. Her back slammed into the corner and she sank to the ground, groaning in pain.  
  
She watched Wallabee leap off the bed like an animal and wander toward the door, sticking his head out to see if anyone was there. "Wallabee..." Kuki muttered sadly, her voice wracked with pain as her back throbbed. He turned toward her, and for an instant she thought he recognized her, but he turned to bound out of the room without a word.  
  
Kuki tried to climb to her feet, but her back went into spasms and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing in pain. "Wallabee... help me..." She begged softly, trying in vain to climb to her feet.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel Uno stared out the window of the Kids Next Door's treehouse. He could hear the pitter patter of rain just starting to fall from a dull gray sky. How fitting, as if the day hadn't been bad enough thus far with Wallabeestill unconscious after being hosed by the Common Cold with... whatever that junk was. He sighed and turned to look back at Hoagie, who was watching TV with a depressed look on his face.  
  
"This is depressing Numbuh 1." Hoagie commented without looking up from the TV. "Numbuh 4 is leaving tomorrow, and we can't even have his party with him out cold. And what if he NEVER wakes up?"  
  
"He'll wake up. If he's not up by tomorrow I'm taking him to the hospital." Nigel replied authoritatively. Hoagie nodded, never looking up from his TV program. Suddenly the power to the TV went out... in fact the entire base was plunged into darkness. "As if we don't have enough problems." He shook his head with a sigh. "Hold the fort Numbuh 2, I'm going to go see what's wrong with the generator."  
  
"Roger." Hoagie replied on his way toward the fridge. "I'll make sure none of the frozen food goes bad."  
  
"You do that." Nigel grabbed an extra flashlight and made his way through the base toward the hamster-powered generator room. The base seemed much less friendly than usual with only the little dull light that filtered through the windows and a flashlight for illumination. Still, he knew this place like the back of his hand, and quickly found the desired room.  
  
He pushed open the wooden door and stepped inside. The hamsters were huddled in a giant pile in the back, shivering and chattering noisily. "What is wrong with you guys? Your shift isn't over for another four hours." He chided them irritably. The hamsters chattered even louder, obviously agitated by something. "What, are there monsters under your wheels?" Nigel smirked and shined his beam around the room randomly. "See? There's nothing h..."  
  
He stopped when he saw a trail of scuffmarks running across the floor to the door. They led from the position he was standing out the door again, as if something was crawling on four feet. "A wild animal again?" He grumbled and moved toward the door, following the scuffmarks.  
  
He remembered one time a squirrel had tried to turn Nigel's room into its nest. He'd thought it would be easy getting rid of it... but then a bear had found its way into the base hunting the squirrel. They'd been cautious about animals ever since. He turned a corner, and stopped when he saw something in the middle of the hallway.  
  
Wallabee crouched in the middle of the hallway, leering at him like a crazed beast waiting to lunge at its prey. Nigel stopped moving, staring at his friend who was staring back as if he were suddenly on some invisible menu. What could have happened to make him like this...?  
  
"Numbuh 4...?" Nigel stepped back in surprise, letting the flashlight fall from his flaccid fingertips. Wallabee whirled and leapt at him with a feral growl, punching him in the face and sending him hurtling into the wall on the other side of the hallway. Nigel barely ducked the next blow and whirled away, but Wallabee swung again, slamming a fist into his lower back.  
  
Nigel stumbled and Wallabee jumped on his back, biting into his shoulder painfully. "Yargh..." Nigel grabbed his head and flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground. He turned to survey his wound. Thankfully his thick sweater was in the way, so the teeth had not penetrated his skin. He looked up again as Wallabee lunged at him, snarling and baring his teeth.  
  
Nigel whirled out of the way, grabbing his hand and fling him into the wall. Unfortunately, he didn't see the window he sent Wallabee flying out of ten stories in the air. "Numbuh 4!" Nigel ran to the window, but to his amazement Wallabee was gone. Nothing on the ground, and nothing below him. "What on Earth happened to you... I have to warn the others... but wasn't Num... Numbuh 3!" He turned and darted down the dimly lit hallway, leaving his flashlight behind.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Kuki pulled herself toward the door, grunting with the strain and the pain this put on her bruised spine. Her eyes were wet, even though her cheeks were already moist from previously shed tears. She grunted again as she reached the door and pulled herself outside it. She stopped when she heard the wooden floorboard creaking from down the hallway.  
  
"H... hello...?" She called fearfully. There was no reply, just the steady creek of floorboards as if someone was coming her way. She waited, staring down the long hallway until she saw Wallabee round the bend, walking toward her. "Numbuh 4... are... are you okay now?" She asked.  
  
He approached her and knelt down, grabbing her chin with one hand and pulled her head up. Kuki yelped in pain as he pulled her back into a bend, enflaming her bruised spine. He quickly dropped her to the ground, where she sobbed in pain, reaching rubbing her back.  
  
She opened her eyes in surprise when Wallabee gently turned her onto her back, laying her on the floor. She stared up at him, feeling a little better than she had before now that her back was straight. He now seemed to recognize her somehow... even if his face was that same strange look it had had when he'd thrown her into the nightstand.  
  
She stared at him as he ran his hand over her cheek, wiping off the tear streaks that had formed. Kuki opened her mouth slightly as Numbuh 4 leaned down toward her, his eyes becoming surprisingly gentle. His face was just inches from hers, slowly moving down... "Wally... what... are you... doing?" She asked in a shaky kind of voice.  
  
They were both startled when they felt the floorboards begin to shake, as if someone was running toward them. Wallabee whirled to stare down the hall before bolting away in the opposite direction. "Numbuh 3!" Nigel rounded the corner and spotted her lying on the floor. "Numbuh 3, are you okay?" He rushed forward to help her.  
  
"My back hurts..." Kuki admitted as Nigel gently helped her to her feet. She leaned against him to take the pressure off her spine. "What happened Numbuh 1? Numbuh 4 is acting strange."  
  
"I don't know, but we'd better stick together until we figure it out. Numbuh 2 is still in the living room, so we should go meet him. Come on." He helped her hobble down the hallway toward the living room.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Hoagie hummed to himself as he sat at the table with every tub of ice cream in the freezer laid out in front of him. "Conservation is my specialty." He grinned as he plunged his spoon into the chocolate ice cream and plunged it into his mouth. He leaned back as he let it melt on his tongue, enjoying the soothing pitter-pat of rain on the ceiling.  
  
"This is the life..." He sighed blissfully and settled back into his comfortable seat at the long wooden table the Kids Next Door used for meals. He closed his eyes and listened to the rain until he heard the sound of creaking floorboards from the main entrance.  
  
"You find out what's going on Numbuh 1?" Hoagie called out curiously after swallowing his spoonful of ice cream. He waited for a response, but the only response he got was the creaking of more floorboards heading in his direction. Curiously he sat up and looked at the door. "Numbuh 1?"  
  
He stood up and approached the door, sticking his head out to look in both directions. He didn't see anybody... but he could have sworn he'd heard someone approaching. "Numbuh 4? Numbuh 3? Is anybody there?" When he got no response he turned to walk back into the dining room.  
  
Something slammed into the floorboards behind him with a loud crash before slamming into his back, sending him stumbling into the table. The table shattered under his weight and the ice cream went flying to the floor all around him.  
  
"Hey, who's...?" Hoagie whirled to his back in time to see Numbuh 4 leap on his stomach, knocking the air out of him. He shoved Numbuh 4 off of him and rolled to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. "Numbuh... 4... what're ya... doin'?" Hoagie asked.  
  
Wallabee just growled and leapt at him again, but Hoagie reached behind him and pulled out a Ketchup Cannon that he'd kept strapped to his back. He didn't like the dark, despite enjoying the rain. Having a weapon made him feel comfortable... now he was glad to know he was right.  
  
Hoagie opened fire, and the force of the ketchup stream sent Numbuh 4 flying into the next room. Hoagie gave chase, and didn't see Wallabee anywhere. However, he spotted a trail of ketchup leading up into one of the cooling vents. "It could be a trap..." He whirled with the cannon held in front of him, looking around suspiciously for any sign of movement.  
  
Suddenly a voice came out of nowhere behind him. "Numbuh 2!"  
  
"AAARGH!" Hoagie whirled and fired his cannon, drenching Nigel and Kuki in the thick red substance. "Huh?... Oh, Numbuh 1! Sorry, but Numbuh 4 just attacked me! I barely fought him off."  
  
"We know, something's happened to him." Numbuh 1 helped Kuki into the kitchen and sat her down on one of the chairs. She gave him a grateful smile and leaned back with a sharp gasp. "This all started with the Common Cold... we have to find him and find out what he did to Numbuh 4."  
  
"We can't leave him here alone, he could escape or hurt himself." Hoagie complained.  
  
"Good point... me and Kuki will remain here to capture Numbuh 4 while you take the SKYCLAW and find the Common Cold. Make him tell you what he did by any means necessary." Nigel said.  
  
"Consider it done." Hoagie flashed a quick salute before turning to run toward the Kids Next Door's docking bay. Nigel turned back to Kuki with a curious expression on his face.  
  
"Numbuh 3, do you think you're recovered enough to help?" He asked. Kuki nodded and Nigel gently helped her stand up. She stood on her own, though her back was still hunched over slightly. "Come on, we have to get to the arsenal room." He led her out of the living room, down one of the dark hallways of the base. Night was beginning to fall, adding to the already dark and dreary atmosphere provided by the power outage and the rain that hammered the base in a torrential downpour.  
  
"Hold on..." Nigel came to a stop when he heard a creaking sound from up above them. He crept forward, staring up at the boards above him. They creaked again softly, raining wood chips on the two Kids Next Door in the hallway. The thumping got louder by the second.  
  
"What on Earth is he doing?" Nigel wondered out loud.   
  
"Look out!" Kuki screamed loudly. Suddenly the roof caved in and Numbuh 4 plunged through on top of Nigel, wearing a strange upper body armor that ended in a pair of oversized gauntlets.  
  
[Kids Next Door vehicle: T.E.R.M.I.T.E.  
  
Terminally  
  
Effective  
  
Ripping  
  
Materials  
  
Internally  
  
Tear  
  
Earth]  
  
Wallabee landed in the middle of the hallway and whirled on Nigel, swinging one gauntlet as hard as he could at his leader's head. Nigel ducked under the blow, letting it punch a hole into the opposite wall before rolling onto his hands and throwing himself over Wallabee's shoulder. He landed on his feet and whirled with a kick, but Wallabee was already countering.  
  
The massive gauntlet slammed into his foot and sent him flying to his back on the floor. He groaned and rolled to his feet, but Wallabee lunged forward and slammed the gauntlet into his chest. It slammed into his shoulder with bone-jarring force, and sent him back against the wall where he broke through amid wood chips and splinters. He flew into the open air outside the Kids Next Door base, but managed to grab one of the splintered planks with one arm to keep from falling.  
  
Wallabee stepped forward and raised one arm, but Kuki ran up to him and grabbed it. "Don't do it Wally!" She clung to his arm as tight as she could, but he whirled fast enough to knock her loose. The other gauntlet came around, with just as much force as before. "EEP!" She clenched her eyes shut, shaking furiously and waiting for the blow to come... but it never did.  
  
She slowly opened her eyes, and gasped softly when she found that Wallabee had let the gauntlets fall off of his arms and was putting one arm around her waist. "Numbuh 1... what is he doing?"  
  
Nigel huffed and puffed as he struggled to pull himself up with his one good arm. "Numbuh 3, be careful, he could turn hostile any second!" He warned her harshly. Wallabee whirled angrily at the sound of his voice. He grabbed Kuki and flung her onto his shoulder before darting down the hallway away from him. "NUMBUH 3!" Nigel screamed worriedly, but it was way too late to catch up with them wounded as he was.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Kuki clung to the back of Wallabee's sweater to make sure she didn't fall off of him until he finally came to s top in her bedroom, setting her down gently on the floor. She stared up at him in confusion, trying to back away from him. "Wally... I'm confused. What's going on here...?" She asked him softly. He knelt down on his feet and knuckles like an ape, moving closer to her.  
  
She yipped and closed her eyes, but only felt his thumb brushing her cheek as it had before. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, once again seeing that gentle gaze staring into her eyes. "What are you doing here? What are you doing... with me?" Her voice shook slightly.  
  
He moved down, rubbing his cheek against hers. Kuki blinked in confusion and reached up to touch his face, pushing it up slightly. He stared down at her, with eyes full of something she couldn't identify. He leaned down again and rubbed his cheek against hers, moving his body on top of hers. She watched him with some apprehension, but she didn't move to push him off.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her and curled up against her body, purring like a kitten wrapped up in its mothers' arms. Kuki tentatively reached up to put her arms around him as well, petting his head. He rubbed his head against her hand, smiling blissfully.  
  
"Why are you so cuddly tonight?" She asked him curiously. He didn't respond, except to lightly lick her chest like a cat. She giggled and pulled him into an even tighter hug. "I like you like this..." She told him lightly. He purred again and rubbed his cheek against hers before leaning up and kissing her square on the lips.  
  
He blinked in surprise, then closed her eyes and returned the kiss, holding him close. Soon the kiss broke and Wallabee leaned against her again, going limp against her as if he was trying to get to sleep. She sighed and held onto him, letting him sleep in her arms. After everything he'd done tonight, why would he come to her like this? Did he see her as mom or... something else?  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Come on and spill already." Hoagie sighed in exasperation, standing in the back of the SKYCLAW with his prisoner trapped in the extendable claw in front of him. The Common Cold seemed positively panicked about something, and refused to talk to him in anything more than a high-pitched, rapid-fire squeak.  
  
"Let me outta here! I gotta get away! Before he finds me!" He exclaimed fearfully.  
  
Hoagie rubbed his eyes underneath his goggles wearily. "Look, you wanna get away from this place, I want an antidote to whatever you gave to Numbuh 2." He reasoned. "How about a trade?"  
  
"There is nowhere!" The Common Cold screamed. "Nowhere he can't reach! I'm dead whatever I do!"  
  
Hoagie began. "We have a moon base... we could hide you there until-"  
  
"The moon base! Yes! Take me to prison! Please!" The Common Cold screamed. Hoagie stared at him in confusion, scratching his head.  
  
"Okay... only after you make me that antidote." He agreed. The Common Cold nodded furiously, so Hoagie grabbed a weapon and released his enemy from the claw so he could get to work. In fairly short order the Common Cold handed a small vial of liquid to Hoagie, which he stuffed in his jacket pocket. "Nice doing business with you, now back into the..." he was interrupted by a red alert sounding through the vehicle.  
  
"It's him!" The Common Cold screamed. Hoagie ran into the cockpit and looked out the window. A huge ball of fire was barreling straight toward the cockpit, seeming to grow larger by the second.  
  
"Abandon ship!" Hoagie lunged for the door and leapt out, forgetting that the Common Col had no parachute. "It's in the compartment by the exit!" He screamed up. The Common Cold wrestled with the latch before trying to slide the backpack on. He managed to get the parachute on and leap out just before the fireball struck, causing the entire vehicle to go up in flames.  
  
Hoagie and the Common Cold floated down to different areas, though Hoagie tried to locate his former enemy once they were down. He made it to where he was sure the Common Cold had landed, but saw no sign of the Kids Next Door's one-time nemesis except the now empty parachute tangled up in a tree overhead. He noticed the straps and several of the branches were now charred black however.  
  
He took out the vial of antidote and looked at it for a moment before looking up at the tree. A quick decision later, and Hoagie was on his way back to base. Kuki needed him more now... he was sure the Common Cold would turn up eventually... as long as he COULD turn up...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
A light groan escaped his lips, at least signaling to himself that he was still alive. He couldn't remember anything... he remembered the Common Cold spraying him with that green gunk and then... absolutely nothing. He opened his eyes slightly as one hand moved to rub the side of his head. He saw the remaining three Kids Next Door standing over him with smiles on their faces. Well Nigel and Hoagie were smiling, Kuki looked like she was about to burst into tears.  
  
And burst she did. She grabbed him and buried her face in his shoulder. "Wally! You're normal again!" She squeezed him tightly. He stared at her until something registered. She hadn't called him Numbuh 4...  
  
He cast a questioning glance at Nigel, who understood and nodded in response. It had been two days... he was 13... he wasn't a Kids Next Door operative anymore. He looked down at Kuki and patted her back comfortingly. "I should go..."  
  
"What... now?" Kuki sniffled and moved back to stare into his eyes worriedly. "No not yet, we haven't had your going away party yet..."  
  
"I'm not in the mood for a party Numbuh 3..." Wallabee groaned and sat up, still rubbing his head painfully. Kuki nodded sullenly and sat back in her seat beside his bed, staring down at the floor. Upon further examination of the others they didn't look right. There was something in his eyes that told him something was off. "Is there something I don't know?"  
  
Nigel and Hoagie looked at Kuki, who raised her face to look at him with a shockingly serious expression. "No... nothing..." She stood up and walked out of the room, not looking at him again. Wallabee scratched his head in confusion while Nigel moved to pat his shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry about her..." He said softly. "Now, about your decommissioning..."  
  
"Don't bother." Wallabee stood up and brushed himself off. "I don't need your speech, I can leave without it." Nigel and Hoagie exchanged a quick glance.  
  
"We'll be in the living room if you need anything Wallabee." Nigel flashed him a quick salute before he and Hoagie left the bedroom. Wallabee turned to gather all of his personal belongings into a suitcase he'd brought into the clubhouse for just that purpose.  
  
What was with that look Kuki had given him? It had seemed so strange... like there was something she didn't want to tell him. He brushed it aside as he finished gathering up his things. If nobody wanted to let him in on the big secret he didn't need to know. He wasn't part of this team, they didn't have to tell him anything. He didn't care... he was fine with it.  
  
He turned and walked through the tree house until he reached the exit. He hesitated a few moments before stepping onto the grass, and starting toward the sidewalk. He was stopped by a voice running up behind him.  
  
"Wally! Wait!" Kuki yelled. Wallabee turned around slowly while she bounded up to him, stopping a few feet in front of him. "You... really don't remember... any of it?" She asked quietly.  
  
"Not a thing." Wallabee confirmed. He couldn't tell if Kuki was relieved or upset by this, she just looked down at the grass thoughtfully.  
  
"Then... remember this..." She walked up to him, grabbed him, and pulled him into a kiss. He froze up, staring at her in utter confusion, but she didn't seem to notice. She held it for several minutes with her eyes closed until she pulled back, her eyes glazed over with tears.  
  
"I'm glad... you're better... bye-bye!" She turned to run back into the tree house, burying her face in her hands. Wallabee looked down at the ground and touched his lips lightly, for a moment recalling something from before. But as quickly as it came, it vanished again. Maybe someday, he would remember what it was...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel Uno looked up from his book on engineering when Kuki entered his small laboratory for creating new Kids Next Door technology. "Do you need something, Numbuh 3?" He asked softly. He knew she was still hurting after what Wallabee had done to her... mentally at least. Nobody else knew of course, but Nigel knew because he'd found them with him asleep on top of her.  
  
"Why are we doing this...?" Kuki asked softly. "It doesn't change anything... and then it ends... and we're always sad... if all it leads to is sadness why do we do it?"  
  
Nigel sighed and closed his book, staring at her over the rim of his shades. "That's something you'll have to think about." He told her seriously. "I wouldn't worry too much though. You're the youngest of all of us... you have plenty of time left."  
  
"But I might quit... if I don't find a reason..." Kuki said. "I would rather go with Wallabee than do something that makes everyone sad."  
  
"Don't worry... you'll find a reason, I know you will." Nigel walked up to her and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "It's something we all have to do... it's part of growing up I guess."  
  
"I hate growing up..." Kuki sighed.  
  
Nigel chuckled. "Me too... but we will anyway... and you'll be ready, I know it." He pulled her in and gave her a fatherly kiss on the cheek before turning toward the door. "I'm going to go arrange dinner tonight... I'll see you then." They each waved and he left, sticking his hands in his pockets. A reason for doing what they do... he was sure she would figure it out. He knew he had... he'd had to.  
  
THE END 


	3. Operation: FLIGHT

Operation: F.L.I.G.H.T.  
  
Flight  
  
Leaves  
  
Internal  
  
Gyrations  
  
Hidden  
  
Throughout  
  
Time kept ticking away... flowing past like a stream that was constantly moving away from him. There was nothing he could do to catch up with it, however fast he ran it was never enough. It kept on moving, until he was left behind to stare after it fearfully, wondering what could possibly come next in his life. He approached the edge of the horizon, and saw a waterfall at the end. The water rained down on the sharp rocks below, shattering and covering the lake below in white foam. The golden twilight from the sun above colored the falling water red, like a river of blood pouring onto the sturdy rock bottom.  
  
"Numbuh 2?" Hoagie sat up with a start, sweating and panting in his airplane bed. The morning sun was just shining in through the large window on the outer wall of the Kids Next Door tree house. Nigel Uno was standing over him. "It's almost time, get up and get dressed."  
  
"Right right..." Hoagie yawned and sat up before climbing down the ladder to the ground to get dressed. His thirteenth birthday was tomorrow, and he was confused about how he should take it. Abigail and Wallabee hadn't seemed too depressed about it once it had come and gone. But he wasn't sure if he could accept it... this had been a big part of his life for a long time.  
  
He sighed and walked outside the tree house once he was fully dressed, where Nigel and Kuki were waiting with their hands clasped behind their backs. Hoagie joined them just as a Kids Next Door helicopter came over the horizon, flying toward them. The sky was dark and clouded over, revealing the impending presence of rain.  
  
The three Kids Next Door waited until the helicopter set down in front of them and the side of the door opened. Nigel reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper as two kids walked off of the vehicle. "Tex M. Johnson." Nigel said.  
  
The boy smirked and nodded. He had rough red skin and wild blonde hair, but his eyes shown bright green in the morning sunlight. He wore a brown leather vest over a fine white T-shirt, and a pair of faded blue jeans. On his feet he wore a pair of fancy black dress shoes, which stood out as a stark contrast to the cowboy theme of the rest of his attire. "Ah reckon that's correct." He said in a hideously exaggerated Texan drawl.  
  
Hoagie groaned from pain while Kuki scratched her head in confusion. Nigel cleared his throat and tried to ignore it while he read the name of the girl. "Cleopatra Winterson."  
  
A girl with beautifully bronzed skin and snow-white hair that hung down to her shoulders stepped forward. Her narrow slits contained sparkling blue eyes that shone like jewels in the morning twilight, and she wore three golden plastic bracelets on each of her wrists. Her clothing was simpler, composed of a black blouse tucked into a black skirt with white stockings that ran down her legs to a pear of black tennis shoes on her feet. "Reporting for duty." She spoke in a soft tone and flashed them a smile.  
  
Nigel cleared his throat and looked down to read from the paper again. "As leader of this branch of the Kids Next Door, I declare you both official members of the team. Cleopatra, you shall be known as Numbuh 4, and Tex shall be Numbuh 5."  
  
"Hey, why don't ah git Numbuh 4?" Tex asked irritably.  
  
"Because your accent is annoying. And it's not even real." Hoagie huffed.  
  
"Yew take that back! It is too real!" Tex shouted.  
  
"I read your file, you're not even from Texas! You're from Montana!" Hoagie shouted back. Tex burst out crying and sank to his knees.  
  
"It's true! My stupid parents moved away from Texas when I was a baby! I don't even have a cool accent!" He sank to the ground, crying on the grass while everyone else stared at him in confusion.  
  
"Well... anyway... come on inside and we can discuss what's going to happen over breakfast." Nigel suggested. So the now five Kids Next Door moved into the base (with Kuki guiding a still sobbing Tex along by the hand). They gathered at the table and Kuki poured them all bowls of cereal while Nigel and the two new members got down to business.  
  
"First off, I am Nigel Uno, and these are Hoagie Gilligan and Kuki Sanban. Now, with introductions out of the way, you both come very highly recommended by Kids Next Door command. I trust that within the year you will be able to take over command of this branch of the Kids Next Door?" Nigel looked at Cleopatra, who was poking her Apple Jacks with a spoon.  
  
"Yes of course. I'll do my best not to let your, or any of your teammates' legacies down." Cleopatra replied. Nigel nodded in satisfaction, but Tex huffed and muttered something under his breath.  
  
"If you've got something to say why not just say it?" Hoagie demanded, not in the mood for this kind of thing.  
  
Tex stared at him and smirked. "Don't get all high and mighty. I read your file too before coming here." By now he'd dropped all pretense of having a Texan accent. "Not only are you one of the LEAST recommended operatives in the Kids Next Door, but your thirteenth birthday is tomorrow." He chuckled at Hoagie's dark look. "I've got a friend who's just waiting for you to go."  
  
Hoagie growled, but Nigel stepped in. "It's not Kids Next Door policy to insult your superiors, Numbuh 5." He stared at Tex meaningfully. "He is still third in command until he retires, and there will be none of that." He looked at Tex over his shades. "Am I making myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal..." Tex muttered. Hoagie stood up and stomped away from them, heading into the back. The rest of the Kids Next Door stared after him.  
  
"Don't worry Numbuh 1, I'll keep Numbuh 5 in check from now on." Cleopatra gave Tex an admonishing look.  
  
Nigel stood up from the table. "Well, Numbuh 3, why don't you show Numbuh 4 to her new room while I take Numnbuh 5 to his?"  
  
"Okay." Kuki walked up and took Cleopatra's hand. Nigel gestured for Tex to follow him down the hall. As he passed it Nigel shot a glance into Hoagie's room, and saw him lying in his bed high up in the wall. He hoped this wasn't going where he thought it was, but Hoagie was showing all the signs...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Hoagie lay in bed the rest of the day with his overhead light off, letting the rest of the team get acquainted. He just kept staring at the ceiling, getting angrier by the second. He'd put several years into this team... this organization. And they were going to replace him with one of these little brats? It drove him nuts... he'd never even gotten to be transferred to the moon base, which was what he really wanted... he never got to fly through space...  
  
He sat up and climbed down the ladder that connected his bed to the ground. He gathered up a few things, all of his personal belongings, or as much as he could carry anyway. He reached for his Fly suit, but the light clicked on suddenly. He whirled to see the rest of the team watching him from the door.  
  
"I really hoped it wouldn't come to this Numbuh 2." Nigel stepped into the room, followed by Kuki, Cleopatra, and Tex. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not happening." Kuki and Cleopatra were watching him with regretful expressions, but Tex looked rather pleased.  
  
"Numbuh 1... I don't want to leave the Kids Next Door... just let me stay on for another year... and maybe then I'll be ready..." Hoagie slinked toward his suit, knowing there was no negotiating.  
  
"You know I can't do that." Nigel replied.  
  
Hoagie sighed regretfully. "Then... I guess this is... goodbye!" Hr grabbed a small ball off of his desk and flung it at his teammates. It slammed into the ground and erupted in a shower of pudding, splattering all four Kids Next Door members. He managed to get his Flying suit on before they could clear enough off to make themselves nimble again.  
  
Nigel's rocket-boots took him into the air while Kuki put her hands over her mouth in shock, not wanting to fight her friend. Tex and Cleopatra leapt forward to confront him.  
  
Hoagie smacked Tex across the face with one of the pictures from the shelf before taking to the air to avoid Cleopatra, but Nigel slammed into him and sent them both hurtling back to the ground. With the Flying suit crushed underneath their weight, Hoagie had no further option of escape. He was surrounded by his now former teammates. Nigel stood over him, sighing regretfully.  
  
"I am sorry Numbuh 2... but we have no choice except to fully decommission you now..." He kneeled down to handcuff his hands behind his back as Cleopatra and Tex stepped forward to help him. Hoagie shot a desperate glance at Kuki, but she closed her eyes and looked away sadly. Hoagie hung his head, having no further options for escape...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
[Kids Next Door Vehicle: S.H.U.T.T.L.E.  
  
Space  
  
Hopping  
  
Uplifting  
  
Triple  
  
Tight  
  
Leaving  
  
Equipment]  
  
"Team 5, you have permission to approach Alpha Base." An unpleasantly familiar Irish voice floated into the small Shuttle through the intercom. "I'll be waitin'." Fanny Fullbright, Numbuh 86 and the head of decommissioning, said in a voice tinged with satisfaction before she turned off the intercom. Nigel and Kuki were manning the controls, having left Cleopatra and Tex behind in case anything happened back at the base.  
  
Hoagie stood up and approached the small window inside of his cell, staring out at the stars. He'd wanted to fly through them since he was five... to take off and just keep going. Now he placed his hand on the cool glass, staring out at them as a prisoner with no control. He sighed and slumped back down on his seat, looking through the barred cell to the cockpit as they approached the moon base.  
  
"We're coming in now." Nigel said into the headset. They docked with the station without difficulty, and Kuki moved to open the cell and stand aside so Hoagie could emerge. Hoagie walked out and his friends each grabbed one of his arms, leading him down the hallway of the station. "Relax N... Hoagie." Nigel patted his shoulder. "It'll be fine." Sure it would...  
  
They entered a simple looking door into a simple office, but the presence behind the desk made it feel more like a torture chamber. Fanny turned in her chair and stared at Hoagie with a delighted smirk on her face. "Well well well, if it isn't Hoagie Gilligan tryin' ta cause trouble." She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "I knew ya'd be a troublemaker. Ya always were."  
  
Nigel ignored her snide comments and relied on the normal procedure. "Numbuh 2 is here for decommissioning... his birthday is in the morning and we believe he's a flight risk..."  
  
"By all means, take him t' one of the cells." Fanny walked up to Hoagie with a soft smirk. "I think I'll enjoy this."  
  
"Oh yeah!" Kuki reached into one of her massive sleeves and pulled out a small box wrapped in pink paper. "Happy thirteenth birthday next month." She held the box out to their superior. Fanny took the box with a thankful, if somewhat uncomfortable smile. Hoagie grinned, knowing that the 'superior' officer didn't even see that the innocent looking girl had just slapped her across the face.  
  
Fanny noticed his grin and scowled. "Get 'im outta here." She demanded. So Nigel and Kuki turned to escort Hoagie down the hall to the row of cells they used to imprison enemy agents and rogue operatives. They gently led him into a cell and closed it, with Nigel making sure it was locked tight.  
  
"I wish you hadn't tried to go renegade." Nigel said softly.  
  
"Me too..." Hoagie sank onto the small bed in the corner of the room as Nigel and Kuki left. He didn't know why he'd tried to make a break for it... he knew what it would bring. He just couldn't bear the thought of losing this part of his life... he'd dedicated it to being an operative, and it was about to end... he couldn't just let it end like that.  
  
"Hey, looks like someone decided to visit me." Hoagie looked up in surprise when he heard a voice he hadn't heard in years. Cree Lincoln, Abigail's older sister, sat in the cell across from him. "What's up, boyfriend?" She smirked. Hoagie blushed and looked down at the floor. She'd been his first kiss when he'd been accidentally aged... in fact... she'd been his ONLY kiss up to that point...  
  
"Looks like your 'friends' are 'bout to get you out of the way." Cree chuckled. "Kick in the butt ain't it? Someone you trusted, turnin' against you?"  
  
"You tried to hurt my friends, I couldn't let you do it." Hoagie glared at her. "And as... fun as all that was, you only liked me because I was a teenager. You never paid attention to me as a kid."  
  
"It's called jailbait little man." Cree smirked. "I always thought you were cute... smart, and witty." Hoagie blushed and looked down at the ground. "You're even cuter now though, I think."  
  
"I probably won't be as cute when my memories are wiped." Hoagie sighed. Cree walked up to the front bars of her cell, holding her arm out as far as she could.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll help you out." Hoagie looked up, staring at her outstretched hand. "We can help each other out." She smiled at him warmly. Hoagie looked at her hand, then took a deep breath and walked up to the edge of the cell. He reached his arm through and took her hand in a firm shake, which sealed the deal.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel walked with Kuki into the cafeteria where all of the moon base operatives were currently having lunch. Hoagie's decommissioning wasn't scheduled for another few hours, so they'd decided to grab something in the meantime. Nigel couldn't shake the feeling that something was going dreadfully wrong, but he didn't see how it was possible. Even operatives couldn't break out of those cells, and from her file he had full confidence in Cleopatra's ability to defend the base.  
  
"Are we doing the right thing Numbuh 1?" Kuki asked worriedly as they made their way through the line.  
  
"What else can we do?" Nigel sighed. They collected their food and made their way to one of the long tables. "He tried to run off, we can't let him run free with what he knows or he could clue some adult into our activities." He sat down at the table and pulled out his portable communicator. "I'm calling back to the base..." He tapped a few buttons and the image from the main screen came up. "Hey, is anybody there?"  
  
The screen remained blank for a few minutes until Tex walked onscreen and approached. "Oh, hey Numbuh 1. Something I can do you for?"  
  
"I'm just checking in, where is Numbuh 4?" Nigel asked.  
  
"On the can I think." Tex smirked. "Girl is like a camel or something..." He chuckled, looking around the base as if checking for something. "If you want I can take a message and hand it off to her when she comes out in about five hours."  
  
"No, that won't be necessary. Just keep up the good work, Numbuh 1 out..." He turned off the communicator and started to eat. Kuki swirled her fork around her plate of potatoes and corn. She looked up at Nigel, looking concerned.  
  
"I still don't get it..." She started.  
  
"I can't tell you Kuki." Nigel sighed, knowing what she was about to ask. She'd been asking since Wallabee's departure several weeks ago. "It's just something you'll have to learn..." Kuki sighed, when suddenly sirens began to blare and red lights started flashing. "What the...!?" Nigel shouted.  
  
"Red alert, this is not a drill! All operatives scramble, we have a rogue operative on Earth! Repeat, this is not a drill! Code One Emergency!" A voice shouted alongside the blaring of the siren.  
  
"A rogue operative?" Kuki exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't know any other operatives had their birthdays this soon."  
  
"Me neither... but we can't ignore a Code One Emergency. Come on, let's get going!" Nigel jumped up and ran for the exit, followed immediately by Kuki. They made their way down to the Shuttle hanger, where Numbuh 362 was rallying all of the operatives around her.  
  
"All ships docked here will be dedicated to finding this operative! No exceptions! We believe she was last seen in this area!" She slammed a pointed into a map projected on the wall. Nigel and Kuki let out a small gasp as their eyes widened. She was pointing right to their base...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Cree deftly opened the lock on her cell with a thin sheet of metal she'd secreted away somewhere on her body. Hoagie couldn't guess where, but figured it was best not to ask. The already blaring alarms meant she didn't have to worry about their alarm going off as she rushed over to Hoagie's cell to release him as well.  
  
"Come on little man, we gotta get outta here!" Cree pulled Hoagie along down the hallway by the arm, slinking past intersections to make sure nobody saw them. Hoagie wondered why she wasn't surprised by the convenient alarm, but didn't have much time to ask before they were indeed spotted.  
  
"Put your hands in the air, now!" The operative shouted, pointing a small weapon at them. Cree rolled her eyes and raised her arms. Hoagie looked up at her, then at his former fellows and raised his arms in the air. The operatives moved toward them, always keeping their weapons trained on them. "Tryin' to escape during the emergency eh? Good thing we're too smart for that."  
  
"Oh yes you sure got us." Cree smirked. She watched the two agents approach with their weapons still trained on them. "But I think you 'operatives' need to remember somethin'."  
  
"What's that?" One of the operatives smirked. Cree brought her arms down in a flash, grabbing the muzzles of both guns and yanking them out of their owners' arms. She brought the back up like a pair of clubs, knocking both guards unconscious against the far wall. Cree let the guns flip into the air, and grabbed them properly in both arms.  
  
"Don't get too close to a suspect before you restrain her." She smirked. Hoagie stared at her in amazement. "Come on little man, the docking bay is over here." She rushed down the hall, followed by the former Kids Next Door operative. They rounded the corner to the entrance of the docking bay and Cree opened fire. The glue balls slammed into several Kids Next Door, sticking them to the far wall.  
  
"You think you can fly this thing baby?" Cree asked as they approached the door to the Shuttle. Hoagie looked inside the Shuttle, finally realizing that she expected him to fly it through space.  
  
"Well... I've never flown through space but I think I could..." Hoagie stumbled over his own tongue.  
  
"Good enough." She pushed him into the Shuttle and stepped in after him, shutting the door behind them. "Take us outta here." Hoagie walked up to the controls and looked out the front window. It looked like the entire fleet of Kids Next Door operatives were on their way toward Earth.  
  
"What's going on?" Hoagie asked.  
  
"Nothin' important, get inside that fleet and we can ride with them all the way back without raising any suspicion." Cree told him. Hoagie nodded and pulled away from the moon base, floating through the blackness of space after the fleet of ships on their way to Earth. Hoagie looked around at the stars, amazed that he was actually flying out here. He'd always wanted to... there were a lot of things he could do now that he couldn't as one of the Kids Next Door...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel and Kuki's Shuttle streaked through the atmosphere ahead of the rest of the Kids Next Door Shuttles, heading toward their base of operations. "Remember Numbuh 1, the distress call said that Cleopatra Winterson had turned against the Kids Next Door. If you see her, contact us immediately. And if you can, find Tex Johnson as well." Numbuh 274 told them seriously over the com link.  
  
"Understood." Nigel switched off the screen as they broke through the cloud cover over their base. Nigel gaped in fear while Kuki gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Their tree house was burning, though the fire was being dampened somewhat by the rain. Damnit... Nigel knew he shouldn't have left the new members alone at the base. How could he be so stupid?  
  
Nigel growled and set the Shuttle down outside the tree house, climbing outside into the rain. "We have to get inside and try to find Numbuh 5, if he's still here we have to get him out of there!" Kuki nodded and they both ran into the tree house, searching it as quickly as they could. The smoke became thicker the higher up they went, until near the main command center it was almost pitch black.  
  
"Numbuh 5!" Nigel shouted, covering his nose and mouth with his sweater while he continued the search. He suddenly tripped over something and sprawled out over the floor with a thud.  
  
"Numbuh 1? Are you okay?" Kuki called, unable to see him even though they were in the same room.  
  
"I'm fine... I tripped..." Nigel climbed to his hands and knees and turned to look back. His eyes went wide when he found Clepatra unconscious on the floor, her wrists and ankles bound together with lengths of rope. Her bronze skin and clothing had been heavily coated with soot and ash from the fire.  
  
Nigel shouted. "Kuki, come help me!" Kuki made her way through the smoke toward his voice. She arrived to find him hefting Cleopatra off the floor, looking at her. "I think we've been betrayed." He told her. The entire treehouse gave a lurch and a shudder, tilting to one side. "We have to get out of here... but I can't see. Get down and lead us through the smoke."  
  
Kuki got nimbly down on all four limbs and led Nigel through the smoke, since she could see better so much lower to the ground. They made their way downstairs, but the tree house gave another shudder. There was a window only a few feet away from them. He could lower two of them down to the ground, but there were three there. He would have to leave someone behind...  
  
Kuki suddenly yelped in pain, vanishing into the thick black smoke. "Numbuh 3!?" Nigel stumbled through the smoke in the last direction he'd seen her. The smoke seemed to be whirling, and small thud sounds emanated through the air. Suddenly a window shattered and Nigel caught sight of Tex's shiny black dress shoes as he hurtled through the window.  
  
"I got him!" Kuki exclaimed proudly from somewhere inside the thick blackness. Suddenly the tree house lurched again, sending Nigel and Kuki sliding toward the open window. They hurtled out into the open air, but Nigel activated his rocket boots, still clutching Cleopatra to his chest. Kuki grabbed onto his leg as they floated rather quickly toward the ground. The boots weren't designed for this.  
  
"Hang on!" Nigel shouted. They all hit the ground hard, collapsing to the grass in a heap. The cool rain felt good after the hot smoke they'd been wandering through moments before. He sat up, still holding onto Cleopatra. Kuki looked over as them as she climbed to her feet. "Where did Tex go?" Nigel asked.  
  
"I stuck a tracker on him." Kuki pulled out a small device out of her oversized sweater, grinning.  
  
Nigel snapped it out of her hand and stood up after lying Cleopatra gently on the grass. "Take care of her. I'm going after Tex." Kuki nodded as Nigel whirled and darted into the forest, following the small blip on the screen of Kuki's tracking device. The blip drew closer as he reached the edge of the field, which ended in a forest behind the row of houses their tree house was build behind.  
  
Nigel darted into the forest, keeping one eye on the tracking device as he made his way through the trees. Suddenly the device started flashing red. "What th- OOF!" Nigel flew to the ground from the impact of a single kick. The tracking device flew into the bushes several yards away as Tex stood over him, smiling victoriously.  
  
Tex's voice had lost all hint of liveliness and accent. "It's been a while since we've met face-to-face Numbuh 1." The boys told him with a grin. Nigel blinked and got to his hands and knees, staring at him. He didn't recognize Tex from anywhere before they'd met just a few hours ago...  
  
"What are you talking about...?" Nigel climbed to his feet, clenching his fists. "I don't know you."  
  
"You're becoming less observant in your old age." The kid grinned. He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a comb, reaching up to comb his hair down. Nigel watched curiously, his eyes wandering down to the kid's shoes... the black dress shoes. Slowly the realization dawned on him...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Keep searching the area!" Fanny shouted as her own emergency team of operatives scoured the area around Nigel's home base. They'd been looking for a while, as had the rest of the fleet from the moon base. They couldn't allow any Kids Next Door operative to get away with this. Not only was betrayal one of the worst things an operative could do, but they could leak sensitive information.  
  
"Drat that Numbuh 1..." She muttered under her breath. It figured that this would happen under HIS command. The boy could barely lead a dog to dog food, of course he wouldn't be able to keep his operatives in line. And then of course she had to come down here and clean up his mess. Maybe after this was over she would request that Nigel Uno be prematurely retired...  
  
"Numbuh 86, we've found something!" One of the kids at the front of the Shuttle shouted. Fanny jumped up from her seat and looked out the window, spotting Kuki on the ground far below bent over what looked like an unconscious girl. "What do we do?"  
  
"Land of course!" Fanny exclaimed. So her operatives set the Shuttle down and she shoved the door open, leaping out to run to where Kuki was busy untying ropes that had bound the girls' wrists and ankles. "What happened here?" She asked, kneeling down beside the fallen girl worriedly.  
  
"We don't know, Tex did something to her." Kuki ran a small moist cloth over the girl's face, cleaning up the clearly visible bruises. Fanny growled and lowered her head, seeing what had happened perfectly. This was just like those whiny sniveling little BOYS...  
  
"Where did he go?" Fanny asked.  
  
"That way." Kuki pointed toward the forest far from their position. "Numbuh 1 went after him, but he hasn't come back yet." Fanny stood up and sprinted toward the forest as fast as she could. "Hey, what should I do with Numbuh 4?"  
  
"Take care of her!" Fanny shouted back, pulling her glue pistol out of its holster. "I have somethin' ta do!" She shouted over her shoulder as she vanished into the forest.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"You're..." Nigel stepped back in surprise. "You're one of the Delightful Children From Down the Lane!" Tex laughed took a bow, as if accepting applause from an appreciative audience. "You'll pay for what you did to Numbuh 4!" Nigel screamed.  
  
"I doubt it, and besides, it was more of a symbolic gesture anyway." Tex chuckled. "The future of the Kids Next Door organization is assured by now. And any kid who refuses to submit to Father will be beaten just as badly." He grinned.  
  
"You adult puppet!" Nigel activated his jet boots, sending himself hurtling toward the other boy. Caught off guard, the Delightful Child was slammed in the stomach and carried with Nigel as they both hurtled into a nearby tree. Tex slammed his fists down on Nigel's head, knocking him to the ground where Tex landed on Nigel's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.  
  
"If I'd known it was this easy, I would have simply beat the stuffing out of you years ago." Tex grinned and raised his fist. Suddenly something slammed into it, covering it with a sticky substance and knocking him off balance. "Wha!?" He stumbled back.  
  
"Ya think what ya did is funny ya slimy little squirt?" Fanny stepped out of the trees surrounding them, keeping her weapon pointed straight at the Delightful Child. "I should shove this thing in your mouth and glue your lungs shut!" She stomped toward him.  
  
"Go ahead and try it, Kid Next Door." The Delightful Child grinned as a Kids Next Door Shuttle floated up behind him over the forest. At first Fanny and Nigel were relieved, until they recognized the figures in the cockpit.  
  
"Hoagie!?" Nigel jumped to his feet as the former Numbuh 2 hovered in the air over them. The door opened in the side of the vehicle and Cree dropped a rope ladder down to the Delightful child. Tex looked up at the ship, then grinned down at the two operatives again.  
  
"We'll settle this later Mr. Uno." Tex grabbed the rope ladder and started scurrying up it as the ship turned to hover away.  
  
"No you don't!" Nigel took off after the ship, pumping his legs as fast as he could.  
  
"Numbuh 1, stand down!" Fanny screamed from behind him. Nigel ignored her and leapt in the air, activating his rocket-boots. They only sputtered, but it was enough to propel him toward the ladder and grab hold. He scaled the waving ladder as fast as he could, until he caught up to Tex and grabbed his ankle. The Delightful Child tried to shake him off, but he refused to let go.  
  
"Let me go!" Tex shouted.  
  
"My duty is to protect my team..." Nigel clung tightly to Tex's leg, trying to hold on for dear life. "What you did... is unforgivable!" He grabbed Tex's leg with his other arm, wriggling to try to get him to let go.  
  
"You fool! We'll both fall!" The Delightful Child screamed in panic as his fingers started slipping off the rung of the ladder.  
  
"I don't care!" Nigel shouted back, trying to dislodge his opponent. Suddenly Hoagie appeared at the top of the ladder, pointing a large weapon straight down at him. "Hoagie..." The ex Kids Next Door member fired without a word, spraying Tomato juice in Nigel's eyes. "AGH!" Nigel let go of Tex, dropping from the Shuttle and wiping furiously at his eyes.  
  
"Numbuh 1!" Fanny screamed furiously from the ground, pumping her legs to catch up to him. She leapt underneath him right before he slammed into the ground, letting him land on her instead. Both kids collapsed to the ground in a pained heap, groaning and bruised. Nigel looked up at the fleeing Shuttle, seeing Hoagie staring out the windshield at him until the vehicle faded into the distance.  
  
"Hoagie..." Nigel growled, clenching his fists tightly. With him, they knew everything about the Kids Next Door. Weapons specifications, base locations, personnel lists, everything. And Cree was free now too, as if simple knowledge wasn't enough, their best fighter was back in the fray too.  
  
"We need to return to base and give a report." Fanny told him. Nigel turned silently to walk back toward the tree house, which was still intact though it was leaning. The rain seemed to have put out the flames by now since the building was tilted. Kuki and the rest of Fanny's team had Cleopatra lying on a small cot someone had gotten out of the Shuttle. She was covered with a blanket, and her eyes were now open.  
  
Fanny walked straight across the field, but Nigel turned to walk toward the group of operatives. "Numbuh 1?" Fanny blinked curiously as he left her side. The other operatives parted to let him kneel down beside the cot, with Cleopatra staring up at him.  
  
"I'm sorry, Cleopatra..." He told her sadly, patting her hand. "I shouldn't have made you take command so soon after you got here... I should have stayed behind... none of this would have happened..."  
  
"Don't worry Numbuh 1..." Cleopatra put her free hand on top of his, giving him a gentle, if sad smile. "I'll return soon..." He knew she was trying to comfort him, but he could also see that something she'd had that morning was gone now. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had a feeling it was important.  
  
Two of the other agents lifted her cot off the ground and moved it toward the Shuttle, leaving Kuki, Nigel, and Fanny staring after them. The Shuttle lifted off from the ground, turning skyward and disappearing into the dark gray clouds overhead.  
  
"Come on." Fanny grabbed Nigel's shoulder and pulled him toward the tree house. "We owe Numbuh 362 an explanation." They made their way to the tree house, though Nigel moved stiffly and without really seeing where he was going. His decisions had made a mess of everything Kids Next Door stood for... he'd practically doomed them in less than twelve hours time... what was there to explain?  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Hoagie waited until the door of the Shuttle opened before him and the kid he'd thought was named Tex that morning stepped out to join his four companions in the loading bay underneath the Delightful Children From Down the Lane's mansion. He sank back into his position with the Delightful children like an old man slipping into a warm bath, resuming his role as just another one of the group.  
  
"Welcome back Cree, and welcome home Hoagie." The Delightful children spoke in unison. "Our home is yours, as long as you're with us. We're sure Father would like to speak with you too."  
  
"Father can have him later." Cree put one hand on Hoagie's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "I want a few words with him first." The Delightful Children nodded in unison and Cree led him down a large hallway away from the hangar. "You having second thoughts, baby?"  
  
Hoagie looked up at her, surprised to hear her echoing his thoughts. "Well... Numbuh 1... he looked so hurt... I... I betrayed him. He's been my friend for so long..." Hoagie hung his head in shame.  
  
"He betrayed you first little man." Cree slid her arms around him from behind, holding his back to her chest and resting her chin on his shoulder. "But this place... it'll take care of you, no matter how old you get." Hoagie looked over at her. She smiled and rubbed his stomach lightly with one hand. "And if you want a friend... ya got one."  
  
"A... friend..." Hoagie smiled warmly.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel walked out of the tree house, looking up at the dull gray sky. Fanny followed him, looking up as well. The Shuttle she'd come down on was full with the inclusion of Cleopatra, so she'd been forced to wait for another one to come pick her up. The two operatives stood in companionable silence, waiting for her shuttle to arrive. The report had been long and taxing, but it had to be done.  
  
"We've quite a pickle on our hands." Fanny said thoughtfully to herself. "With a former operative as experienced as Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. on their side, they have as much information on us as they could ever want." She looked over at Nigel with an appraising look in her eye. "The Kids Next Door may not survive this one."  
  
"They won't last long enough to use that knowledge against us." Nigel replied simply, as if he knew it for a fact. Fanny quirked one eyebrow, staring at him like he'd gone nuts. "My thirteenth birthday will be celebrated on the ashes of the Delightful Children's organization." His voice held nothing but conviction, and contempt for those he'd just sworn to destroy.  
  
The Kids Next Door Shuttle broke through the cloud cover overhead and landed on the field beside the leaning half-burnt base. Nigel started toward it, but Fanny walked alongside him. "Where are you going? Shouldn't you stay here and get your base repaired?" She asked.  
  
"I'm going to get reinforcements." Nigel said simply as he boarded the Shuttle ahead of its intended passenger. Fanny stared after him, then shook her head and followed him on board. The shuttle lifted off from the ground and arched toward the sky, breaking through the dull gray cloud cover in a matter of moments. It left behind nothing but a promise, that lingered in the air until it too was swallowed by the dark clouds that seemed to be growing even larger.  
  
THE END 


	4. Operation: FEAR Part 1

Operation: F.E.A.R.  
  
Fear  
  
Erases  
  
All  
  
Response  
  
Abigail Lincoln tossed in bed, the soft blankets wrapping around her body like a small cocoon from the ferocity of her turning. She growled and moaned in her sleep, gripping the sheets hard enough to turn her knuckles white. She bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut until suddenly she shot up with a start, panting into the dark night around her. She rubbed her head and looked around, but saw nothing there.  
  
"Stupid nightmares..." She sighed and climbed out of bed, grabbing her robe and pulling it on both to cover her exposed skin and protect it from the nighttime chill. She walked down the hallway of her house toward the kitchen, making her way over to the fridge. Life had been pretty boring since she'd left the Kids Next Door, but other than that she felt no different. She'd thought she would become more mature or more responsible or something... but she hadn't changed a whole lot.  
  
Maybe something was wrong with her? She shook her head and grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge, popping it open as she closed the door. She lifted the can to her lips, but stopped when she heard a creaking noise behind her. She knew if it were her father he would have greeted her by now...  
  
She turned around slowly to see a dark skinned figure clad in black leaning against the wall watching her. "Well looks like you finally escaped, eh Cree?" Abigail commented, swishing her drink around in the can. "It only took you three years."  
  
"And hello to you too, sis." Cree smirked. "You haven't changed a bit. Oh wait... yes you have. Happy thirteenth birthday." Her smile seemed genuine, but Abigail wasn't about to take it at face value.  
  
"Just tell me what you want so I can go to bed." Abigail said pointedly, not in the mood for a late night confrontation with her sister. "I'm not one of the Kids Next Door anymore, so if you're here to attack me you're a little late."  
  
"Actually I'm here to make you an offer." Cree smiled. "You're way too good at what you do to let you waste your life here, doing schoolwork, playing kiddy kissing games with the boys." She pushed herself off the wall and approached Abigail, putting one hand on her shoulder. "We normally don't do this, but because you're my sister I'm gonna. I want you to come with me, to work for the Delightful Children from Down the Lane."  
  
"What are you, crazy? I'm a teenager, not a traitor like some people I know." Abigail brushed her sister's arm off of her shoulder like an annoying fly. "You're gonna have to find your inside informant somewhere else."  
  
"Oh we already have one." Cree winked. "We don't need you... I just thought I should give you another chance. But suit yourself, I thought it would be nice to work WITH you for a change... but the fight is almost over anyway." She walked toward the window. Abigail quirked one eyebrow, watching her with a curious gaze. When Cree reached the window and pulled it open she turned back. "Just a warning, stay away from the Kids Next Door if you don't want to suffer any... negative effects." With that she vanished into the night outside.  
  
Abigail walked up to the window and stared into the night, disturbed beyond reasoning by what had just happened. They had an informant from the Kids Next Door? Could it be a trick? But what if it wasn't...?  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The blanket of darkness that covered the Earth was pierced only by the stars that twinkled from the heavens, bathing the large mansion in pale light. The night was completely still, except for a swarm of small soldiers who made their way toward the building like an army of ants. They closed in around the building, all armed to the teeth and ready to rumble.  
  
Nigel Uno crept right up to the front door, clutching his balloon launcher close to his chest. He was followed by Kuki, and strangely enough, Fanny. She'd volunteered to temporarily join this squad since they were seriously understaffed with Cleopatra still recovering from her injuries. Besides, she had to be here anyway to find Hoagie, being the head of decommissioning.  
  
Nigel waited several minutes to make sure all of the assembled Kids Next Door were in their positions before speaking into the small communicator pinned to his sweater. "GO!" Fanny and Kuki kicked in the door and the three of them sped through it. All around the building they could hear shattering glass and breaking walls as other Kids Next Door teams made their own entrances.  
  
Several turrets in the ceiling roared to life and took aim, but a barrage of water balloons fried their circuits and shut them down. They made their way through the winding hallways and up the stairs, frying turrets and searching for any sign of the building's occupants.  
  
They stopped outside a small door, behind which they could see the pale light from a television set. Nigel Gestured for Kuki and Fanny to cover him while he grabbed the doorknob. He thrust the door open and lurched inside, looking for any sign of an ambush.  
  
He moved further in when he didn't see any, ignoring the TV still on behind him. Kuki and Fanny moved in behind him. Nigel stopped when he heard what sounded like a muffled yell from the TV. Slowly all three operatives turned around at the same time.  
  
On the television screen was an image of Cleopatra, bound and gagged in the middle of the main area of the Kids Next Door's tree house and shaking with fear. Tex walked on screen with a small rod clutched in his one fist, hitting it against the open palm of his other hand. He approached the shivering girl and raised the rod over his head, not stopping for anything.  
  
"What kind of monster would leave something like this running... would even record something like this?" Fanny gaped. Nigel quirked one eyebrow, realizing she was right. The Delightful Children got nothing out of keeping this around, they wouldn't tape it, unless...  
  
"They want to keep us distracted..." Nigel looked around the room quickly, for the first time noticing a small bundle strapped to the ceiling. He grabbed the communicator on his sweater. "All operatives! Evacuate!" He whirled and darted out of the room, grabbing the girls' hands and dragging them behind him.  
  
The first explosion rang out in the room they had been in moments before, engulfing the carpet and roof of the hallway in flames as they erupted from the enclosed room. More explosions followed, seeming to move down the corridor towards them.  
  
One bomb erupted right on top of them, engulfing them in searing hot flames. Kuki screamed and lurched forward ahead of the others, turning down the staircase that led to the ground floor. It was already engulfed in flames however, blocking all access to the exits on the bottom floor.  
  
Another explosion right on top of them rained fire down on them, forcing them to cover their faces lest they lose their eyesight at this critical time. "We've got to get out of here!" Fanny shouted.  
  
"There's still one exit." Nigel grabbed Fanny's arm tightly and activated his rocket-boots. They screamed down the hall toward Kuki, who he slammed into and carried with them just as another bomb went off right above her. They streaked up to the window and broke through it just as the bomb above the window detonated.  
  
The three operatives plummeted toward the ground in a shower of glass and fire. They hit with a solid thud, with Nigel landing flat on his back. He grunted in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the glass raining down on them. The heat from the flames had fortunately died down, however.  
  
He tried to lift his head, but his back screamed in pain and he let it fall back on the grass. Fanny and Kuki knelt down beside him, grabbing his arms. "Numbuh 1!" They both shouted just before he blacked out.  
  
His awareness faded into darkness until he awoke again as if in a few moments, surprised to find himself in the bedroom of a normal house. It didn't look like his house, or any of his friends' houses. He could feel bandages covering a large portion of his body, and his head was propped up on a pile of pillows. His shades were sitting on the nightstand beside him, and the just rising sun was shining through the window, blinding him.  
  
He grabbed his shades and slipped them on as the door opened. Kuki walked in with a wet washcloth, but she dropped it when she saw him. "Numbuh 1! You're okay!" She ran to the side of the bed and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Nigel bit his lip as her hand smacked into his sore back, but he wrapped his arms around her as well.  
  
"I'll be fine Numbuh 3." Nigel replied. They released each other and he looked around the room again. "Where are we? This isn't your house...?"  
  
Kuki shook her head. "Nope, this is Numbuh 86's house." Nigel quirked one eyebrow, so she explained. "After the mansion exploded we had to get you somewhere to help you... so we brought you to the closest house we could use to help you get better."  
  
"Where is Numbuh 86?" Nigel asked.  
  
"Outside I think." Kuki pointed to the window, which he now saw doubled as a door to a balcony. Nigel pushed himself out of bed, clad only in his shorts as he approached the window. He slid it aside and stepped out into the golden sunlight. Fanny was leaning against the guardrail, staring out across the sea of houses that were all much smaller than this one.  
  
Nigel walked up to lean against the balcony beside her. "Did everybody make it out?"  
  
"I dunno." Fanny replied without looking at him. She reached up and pulled a toothpick out of her mouth before she spoke again. "I haven't been able to get a signal through, all the frequencies are busy." She gave him a wry smirk. "So I'm guessin' it was pretty bad." Nigel sighed and slammed his head into the rail.  
  
"So stupid... I should have seen it coming. Of course they would set a trap... they must have known we would be coming after them after what they did..." He hung his head in shame, closing his eyes. "I led them all into a death trap..."  
  
"I should have seen it too." Fanny shook her head. "But I wanted to get that little bastard for what he did to Numbuh 4... I ignored the risks." She hung her head beside his. Nigel looked over at her, unaccustomed to hearing her do anything but try to blame others for her mistakes and claim glory. He supposed with something this big even she couldn't try to take advantage of it.  
  
Nigel stood up straight and put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find them and put an end to it. We just have to find a way to locate them." Fanny looked over at him, her eyes unusually gentle. The orange sun glinted off of her fiery red hair, making a halo around her face as she stood up straight and nodded with a slight smile. Nigel smiled back, for once not upset to have to spend a little time with her...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"What the blazes happened here?" Abigail gaped in surprise when the Kids Next Door tree house hove into view. It was tilted sharply to one side, and half of the branches were blackened and burned. She'd come to warn her friends about Cree's threat... but was she already too late? Were all of her friends... already gone?  
  
She rushed into the tree house, noting that the alarm didn't go off despite a teenager entering the building. "Numbuh 1!" She shouted, struggling to keep her footing on the sharp slant. "Yo, is ANYBODY in here!?" She wandered through the tree house. It was amazing how different it all looked. Covered in ash, moved across the room by the slant, or outright destroyed in some massive blaze.  
  
"Freeze, teenager!" Abigail froze when she heard a voice behind her. She slowly turned around to see two Kids Next Door members training their weapons on her. "What are you doing here? Only Kids Next Door members are allowed to-"  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah." Abigail crossed her arms over her chest. "I know the drill, I'm an ex-Kids Next Door member."  
  
"Then you should know better than to come back here." One of the operatives lowered his weapon, but stayed ready to raise it again.  
  
"It's important. I need to talk to Numbuh 1. Where is he?" Abigail demanded. The two Kids Next Door operatives exchanged silent glances. "What is it? Tell me where he is!"  
  
"We don't know." One of the operatives told her. "He went on a mission last night with Numbuh 3 and 86, but they disappeared after the Delightful Children From Down the Lane sprung a trap. They haven't been seen or heard from since." Abigail hung her head and clenched her fists. It was possible they were... but no. They had to be out there somewhere.  
  
"I need you two to take me up to the main base." She told them.  
  
"You're not a Kids Next Door operative, we can't just ferry you to our most important base like a taxi." One of the operatives complained. Abigail stalked up to them threateningly, forcing them to train their weapons on her again.  
  
"Either take me peacefully or I'll make you take me prisoner, either way I'm going to that moon base!" She shouted in their faces. They exchanged a glance and gulped in unison before looking up at her again.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel was in bed again, with his bare torso still covered in bandages. Plunging through the window had taken its toll on him more than he'd realized. His little trip to the balcony had exhausted him. Kuki continued to play the helpful maid though, so he never ran out of food or entertainment. Fanny came and went from what was apparently her bedroom to ask how he was.  
  
He looked up when she entered for the fifth time in an hour, looking like she wanted to say something. Before she did however she turned to leave, but Nigel spoke before she reached the door. "Any word from Kids Next Door headquarters?" He asked.  
  
Fanny looked down at him and shook her head slowly. "Nothin'. It's been quiet as a tomb."  
  
"Kind of nice actually." Nigel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "With the constant missions, it's easy to forget that there's more to life than noise and activity... like relaxing." Fanny nodded and walked up to the side of the bed. "This is a pretty nice place. Very big."  
  
"Yeah well, my mother's an important person in some circles." Fanny replied. Nigel nodded and turned his head to cough into his hand. "Here, you could use a drink." She pulled a flask out of her pocket and held it to his lips, letting him drink a little bit before returning it to its pocket. "Those wounds must be weakening your immune system."  
  
"Let me know when you contact Kids Next Door mission control..." Nigel said. "I want to get back to work as soon as I can, however nice this time here is." Fanny nodded and patted his hand before walking out of the room.  
  
Nigel coughed again as Kuki walked in with a tray of food for dinner. "Here you go. Soup, sandwiches, and a tall glass of milk." She set the tray on his lap on a group of extendable steel legs.  
  
"Thanks a lot Numbuh 3." Nigel grabbed one of the sandwiches and took a bite, enjoying the taste in his somewhat parched throat. "As soon as Numbuh 86 makes contact wit the Kids Next Door home base, we'll get out of here and resume our mission."  
  
Kuki blinked curiously. "Make contact? But didn't she talk to them earlier?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Nigel quirked one eyebrow.  
  
"I heard her talking on her communicator earlier, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I thought she was talking to someone at the base." Kuki said. Nigel stroked his chin with one hand, letting out a cough a moment later. "Are you okay Numbuh 1? Are you getting sick?" She put one hand on his forehead.  
  
"I don't know what it is..." Nigel leaned back on the pillows, beginning to sweat despite a slight chill in the air. "I think I'll rest for a while..." He closed his eyes, breathing deeply.  
  
"Numbuh 1? Numbuh 1!" Kuki shook his shoulders violently, but he sank into a deep sleep regardless.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Abigail marched onto the Kids Next Door moon base, ignoring the surprised stares of her former colleagues as Numbuhs 12 and 13 led her down the hall toward one of the main meeting rooms. She hadn't been here in a long time, but she could still recognize most of the faces around her. A few still looked friendly, but most looked suspicious.  
  
The two agents led her into a small office, where Chad, Numbuh 274, turned to meet them. "Former operative Abigail Lincoln..." Numbuh 12 gulped when Chad glared at him balefully. "We had to bring her... she threatened us."  
  
Chad sighed and stood up, approaching Abigail. "Old friend or not, you're not supposed to be here Abigail. We have kind of a lot to deal with right now anyway."  
  
"I noticed." Abigail smirked. "I'm here to ask you to help me find Numbuh 1." She walked into the room, looking around at the various files and pictures scattered on his desk.  
  
"If we could find him, we would have found him long before now." Chad rubbed his head. "To be honest, he's not the highest thing on our list of priorities. We're dealing with Cree and the traitor Hoagie Gilligan, in addition to tending to those wounded in the last raid and preparing for whatever the Delightful Children From Down The Lane decide to throw at us next."  
  
"Traitor Hoagie?" Abigail whirled toward him in surprise. "Hoagie is the one who's working with Cree?"  
  
Chad quirked his eyebrow and walked up to her. "Do you know something, Abigail?"  
  
Abigail stared him down, unblinking. "Cree visited me last night, told me something about the fight coming to an end soon. I wanted to warn Numbuh 1, but I haven't been able to find him." Chad swore softly under his breath and walked behind his desk. Suddenly he stopped and whirled on her.  
  
"You're Cree's sister..." He gaped like he'd just solved the mysteries of the universe.  
  
"Yeah, that comes with having the same parents." Abigail smirked.  
  
"We can use your DNA and our satellite net to find Cree. Maybe we can put a stop to this before any more kids are injured." Chad walked up to her and held out his hand. "If you'll agree to help us out one more time, Abigail." He smiled.  
  
Abigail looked down at his hand. She'd really only wanted to warn Numbuh 1... but it didn't look like that was possible. The next best thing would be to help take out the Delightful children... and Cree would definitely be a part of that. She reached out and gripped his arm in acceptance. "Alright, I still owe her anyway."  
  
Chad smiled and put one hand on her shoulder. "Great, come on, let's get you down to the labs." He turned to lead her out of the office and through the moon base. They soon arrived into a small lab on one of the lower levels, where several operatives in white lab coats were operating a large machine. It would be connected to the entire satellite web right form this very room.  
  
When Chad walked in they all turned toward him, though they gave Abigail distrusting looks. How quickly things changed. "You're all relieved until further notice." Chad said.  
  
"But what's going on Numbuh 274?" One of the operatives asked.  
  
"We'll have time for a full briefing later, right now we have to move fast and quietly. Now everyone out." Chad and Abigail stood aside to let the younger operatives file out so they could approach the machine. "Put your hand against the scanner."  
  
Abigail obediently placed her palm against the glowing screen. Chad sat down at one of the chairs to work the machine. One of the monitors above them showed images of all the satellites turning in place, aiming straight down toward Earth. She watched curiously as the radar began lighting up, showing the surface of the Earth. She waited with bated breath for any sign, but for a few minutes none came.  
  
"Maybe she's underground..." Chad muttered. Suddenly a blip came back, shining brightly against the dull backdrop. "Got her! She's in Australia."  
  
"Let's go pick her up then." Abigail pulled her hand away from the screen. "If she's there, it's a safe bet that the Delightful Children From Down the Lane will be there too." She turned toward the door, but stopped when she saw a little girl with bronze skin, white hair, and narrow eyes staring at them. "Who is this?"  
  
"Do you need something, Numbuh 4?" Chad asked. Abigail looked at him, then gave the girl another appraising look. So this was Wallabee's replacement huh? She didn't look like much. In fact she looked tired and worn, as if she'd gone through a lifetime of service.  
  
"I want to come with you." She replied. Chad sighed and walked up to her.  
  
"This is going to be a dangerous mission. You still need to rest and recuperate." Chad told her.  
  
"If I rest any more, I'll go crazy." The girl replied simply. Abigail had to admire the girl's persistence and calm attitude. Chad looked like he was about to reject her again, but Abigail interrupted him.  
  
"Let her come. I'll take full responsibility for her." Abigail said. Chad and the girl looked over at her. "We could use an extra pair of eyes anyway, if it's going to be just us."  
  
Chad still looked doubtful, but he looked down at the girl and nodded. "Okay, you can come. Just don't overexert yourself." The girl nodded without smiling. Something was odd about her... but Abigail couldn't figure out what it was. Oh well, she had a mission to accomplish.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The concept of time faded into little more than a memory. He floated in and out of consciousness like a series of waves crashing up onto a beach. Sometimes a figure with fiery red hair would be standing over him, other times it would be nothing but shadows.  
  
Finally he managed to pry his eyes open, looking around the room through a sleep-filled haze. He felt a wet washcloth against his forehead, accompanied by the touch of a hand massaging his temple. He blinked and looked to the side, seeing the red-haired figure sitting beside him. "Numbuh 86..." He spoke as loud as he could, but it was still barely more than a whisper.  
  
"Relax Nigel." Fanny gave him a comforting smile, rubbing her palm against his bare forehead. "You're doin' fine. You'll be better in no time." Her voice was surprisingly gentle, but his hazy mind barely registered anything unusual about it.  
  
"Where's... Numbuh 3..." Nigel tried to sit up, but she put a hand on his bare chest to push him back down.  
  
"She's downstairs fixin' ya lunch." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small silver flask. "Ya sound like ya need a drink." She held it up to his lips and poured the liquid into his mouth.  
  
Nigel watched her face as intently as his hazy mind would let him, letting the liquid flow into his mouth. When she was satisfied she corked the flask again and stuffed it into her pocket. "Don't worry Nigel, we'll be gettin' outta here soon." She patted his shoulder and turned to leave.  
  
Nigel watched her go, then turned his head to the side and spit the liquid on the floor beside the bed. He groaned and leaned back on the pillow, staring at the door. He still wasn't able to think very well, but even he could tell that something was wrong...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Abigail waited in the back of the small Shuttle with Chad and the girl she now knew as Cleopatra. Only they and the pilot knew the nature of their mission out here. She wasn't sure why, but Chad had insisted that they take care of it themselves. They mansion was passing by below them, as the two children and one teenager rose to their feet.  
  
Chad silently approached the door and pushed it open, looking down at the ground far below. The dark midnight sky gave little light, but the large mansion was lit up by a series of floodlights around the perimeter. He looked back at Abigail and Cleopatra before jumping. "I hope you two are sure about this." Chad told them seriously. "Once we leave this Shuttle there's no going back."  
  
"Just go already." Abigail shoved him out the door, sending him hurtling toward the ground. Abigail leapt after him, followed by Cleopatra. Chad's jetpack flared to life as he aimed toward the mansion, landing on the roof. Cleopatra and Abigail were both forced to open their regular parachutes and float calmly down to the roof.  
  
Chad crept up to one of the many skylights on the roof and took out a small pen, cutting a hole in the glass. He used a suction cup to pry it up and leapt through, using his jetpack to float gently to the ground. Abigail leapt past him, landing in a crouch before standing back up to catch Cleopatra and set her on the ground.  
  
Chad landed beside them. "We'll split up. Signal if you find anything." He handed each girl a small indicator with one button and three small lights. "However many lights blink indicates which one has been activated. One for me, two for Abigail, and three for you Numbuh 4. Now let's move." He moved town one of the hallways away from the circular room, with Cleopatra following until she could find another passage.  
  
Abigail went the other direction, moving as silently as possible. She hadn't brought her weapons; they had all been destroyed after she left the organization. Operatives had to build their own equipment to use, and she hadn't had time to make anything new.  
  
She stopped at a corner and peeked around to make sure it was empty. She slinked down this new hallway until she came to a room with the door open. She could hear a soft mumbling sound coming from inside.  
  
"Three degrees south... no that wasn't right. Bah, why can't I remember?" Abigail peeked around the doorframe. Hoagie was sitting with his back to the door, pouring over what looked like a map on the desk in front of him. He banged his fist into the desk. "Where was it!? Wait... yeah... that was it." He started scribbling furiously on the map.  
  
After reaching into her sweater to press the button on her indicator, Abigail crept into the room silently. She moved on all fours to keep her weight from landing on any one spot. She crept up behind Hoagie, reaching out slowly to grip one leg of his chair. She braced herself and yanked the chair out from under him.  
  
"Yow!" Hoagie slammed into the desk and Abigail jumped on his back, covering his mouth with her hand and pushing his head down on the desk.  
  
"Okay, what do you think you're doing?" Abigail growled.  
  
Hoagie blinked and looked over his shoulder at her. She moved her hand slightly so he could respond. "Abigail? What are you doing here? The Kids Next Door kicked you out."  
  
"I'm helping my friends. How about you?" Abigail scoffed. Hoagie blinked, and gave a soft sigh. Suddenly Abigail was heft off of him and whirled through the air. Her stomach slammed into the corner of the desk, knocking the wind out of her. Someone rolled her off the desk to the floor with a solid kick. She slammed into the floor with a thud, coughing and holding her stomach.  
  
"I warned you to stay away from this Abigail." Cree stepped on her younger sister's stomach, holding her down. "You should have either joined us or kept your nose out of it. Now I'm gonna have to turn you over to Father."  
  
"I'm sure that just chokes you up..." Abigail sneered. Cree grabbed her arms and hauled her off the ground, pushing her arms up behind her back. Abigail looked over at Hoagie, who was watching the exchange with a blank expression on his face. Abigail frowned at him.  
  
"I hope it's all worth it." Abigail said. Cree yanked her arm up painfully and guided her toward the door.  
  
"Get back to work baby, I'll be right back." Cree pushed Abigail through the maze of hallways. Abigail tried to keep track of them, but they all looked completely identical. She gave up trying to keep track and instead wondered about Chad and Cleopatra. Cree might not know she'd come with some Kids Next Door operatives. There was no reason for her to guess...  
  
Abigail was shoved into a huge domed chamber decorated with carpets and wallpaper of gold and silver. The Delightful Children From Down the Lane stood at the base of a set of stairs leading up to a throne, on which sat a dark figure who was leering at her victoriously.  
  
"Abigail Lincoln. Aren't you a little old for kiddy games?" Father asked with an amused smirk.  
  
"Aren't you a little stupid to run an organization?" Abigail shot back. Cree smacked her in the back of her head, knocking her red cap off. "Hey, watch the cap!"  
  
Father laughed and stood up, walking down the steps toward her. "As spirited as ever. It's too bad nothing you do here will make a difference. It'll all be over in ten hours, at noon tomorrow."  
  
"Y'know, you all keep sayin' that it's over, but I just don't see it happening." Abigail commented.  
  
"You can't see the big picture." Father shook his head and looked at Cree. "Lock her in one of the restrainers... I want her to watch the fireworks in the morning."  
  
"I'm on it." Cree dragged her sister out of the throne room and down the hall a short ways. Abigail was shoved into a small chair where her hands and feet were shackled down. There was a monitor in front of her, which was blank at the moment. "I'll come get you after it's over Abby... maybe then you'll see some merit in joining us." Cree stepped outside and closed the door, shutting Abigail in with no way to escape.  
  
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Fanny picked up the tray of food with one hand and the glass with the other, carrying it toward the bedroom. She pushed the bedroom door open with her foot, walking into the room with a gentle smile. "Okay Nigel, it's time for breakfast." She approached the bed, seeing Nigel still unconscious. Setting the tray on the nightstand, she prepared to wake him up when she noticed a stain on the carpet.  
  
"What..." She stared at it, then looked up in time to watch Nigel leap from his unconsciousness and tackle her, slamming her into the wall hard. "Agh!" Fanny struggled with him, but his grip was too tight to break.  
  
"Alright, tell me why you did it! Who are you working for that can make you sell out the Kids Next Door!?" Nigel yelled in her face. Fanny glared down at him angrily.  
  
"Sell out? I'm not workin' for anybody anymore!" She replied.  
  
"So why did you drug me to keep me here?" Nigel demanded.  
  
"To protect you!" Fanny shouted back. Nigel blinked and loosened his grip, but refused to let her go. She sighed and shook her head. "Our spy finally infiltrated the Delightful Children's home base... and what he told us had the Kids Next Door high command shaking in their boots." She looked away from him, as she was one of those high command operatives. "His last transmission detailed a plan to wipe out the Kids Next Door in one night."  
  
"It's not possible." Nigel shook his head. "If they could do it they would have done it long before now."  
  
Fanny looked down at him seriously. "It's true. I saw the plan." She closed her eyes, trying to remember what she'd seen. "Tomorrow at noon there will be a solar eclipse, when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. It's at that time that the Delightful Children will throw one of their special explosives into the sun itself." Nigel listened with growing interest. "It'll cause a miniature supernova, that will wipe out everything on the surface of the moon, while the moon's presence protects the Earth."  
  
"The Kids Next Door moon base will be annihilated..." Nigel gaped.  
  
"I wish that was the end of it." Fanny shook her head. "They have a ring of satellites floating around Earth, that they can use to deflect the solar energy back down to Earth on any spots they want. All they needed was the locations of all the Kids Next Door bases." She stared down at Nigel blankly. "They have that now, and it's only a matter of time."  
  
"Hoagie..." Nigel let Fanny go, staring at her in shock. "But why didn't Kids Next Door command tell anyone about this? We could evacuate all the operatives and rebuild..."  
  
"It wouldn't matter how many operatives were left. Without our bases and technology we would be powerless to protect ourselves and you know it." Fanny glared at him. "The only option was to sit and wait for it to happen... but I couldn't do it. Me and several other key Kids Next Door members got out..."  
  
"Leaving everyone else to die." Nigel scowled and pushed her against the wall again. "So why drag me along with this against my will? And what did you do with Numbuh 3?"  
  
"Kuki is fine, she'd asleep in one of the guest rooms." Fanny looked away from him. "I knew you wouldn't come willingly... but I thought you were worth saving anyway after seeing you respond to Cleopatra's predicament, and when you risked your life to save me at the mansion..."  
  
"You were right. I want no part of this." Nigel pushed away from her and walked out of the room, searching in the other rooms for any sign of Kuki. Fanny leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling in defeat. She listened to Nigel stomp through the building until he stopped, having found his friend. Fanny shook her head.  
  
"You know it's too late now Nigel. The eclipse is happening in three hours and we have no idea where the Delightful Children are." Fanny replied. "You're only condemning yourself.  
  
"If I can't stop it then I deserve to be condemned." Nigel marched toward the front exit with the unconscious Kuki in his arms. Suddenly they all heard the communicator pin on Kuki's sweater activate.  
  
"*f *ny*** c*n h*** **, ** ***d **lp!" A voice shouted through a pile of static. Nigel looked down at it and pulled it off of Kuki's sweater.  
  
Nigel stared at it curiously. "It's a transmission... but these communicators are supposed to work worldwide. What could be causing the interference...?" Fanny walked out to the living room to find him, knowing what it was. The eclipse was beginning...  
  
"If I can boost the transceiver power..." Nigel set Kuki on the couch and started fiddling with the communicator. Soon a clearly recognizable voice came back. It was Numbuh 274.  
  
"Repeat, if anyone is picking this up, we need backup right away! We're in the middle of Australia... I'm transmitting the coordinates. If anyone picks this up, we need backup right now!" His voice faded into static again as Nigel's adjustments shorted out the power supply.  
  
"I'm going." Nigel dropped the useless communicator and picked up Kuki again.  
  
"There's no point to this Nigel. There's not enough time." Fanny reminded him.  
  
"Then I'm going to fail. But either way, I'm going to try." Nigel walked out with Kuki in his arms, activating his rocket-boots and streaking through the sky away from her. Fanny approached the door and looked up to watch him leave. She wished him the best, but somehow she knew wishes wouldn't be enough...  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	5. Operation: FEAR Part 2

(Warning: the following chapter contains blood, death, and intense situations)  
  
Continuing Transmission...  
  
Kuki remained limp in his arms as Nigel Uno made his way through the winding city streets. His jet-boots had run out of fuel quickly, thanks to an undetected leak from his encounter with Tex several days earlier. His arms were getting tired and his legs felt like lead, but the sun was rapidly lifting higher in the sky and he knew the moment it disappeared behind the moon his time would be up.  
  
He approached the tree house he and his team had been using for the last several years. It was still slanted and burnt, but more importantly, there was no Shuttle present. There was supposed to be a team guarding it in case the Delightful Children tried to come back and steal their technology.  
  
Nigel stopped in front of the tree house, swearing silently. Now what was he supposed to do? He had no way to get to Australia without a Shuttle. He sighed and sat down, resting Kuki on his lap. He wasn't sure how long the drug Fanny had slipped them was supposed to last. She could be out for hours, and then eclipse was fast approaching...  
  
"Halt right there Numbuh 1." Nigel looked up and fell back in surprise. A Shuttle was floating right on top of him, as silent as a balloon drifting on the current. "You're coming with us, and you'd better cooperate." The bottom hatch opened and a girl with the number 45 on her chest slid down to confront him.  
  
"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything to-" Nigel was interrupted.  
  
"We received word that you betrayed the Kids Next Door. We're to arrest you on sight. The order came straight from Numbuh 86... but I'm guessing you knew that." She smirked darkly. Nigel could barely believe Fanny would go this far... but he couldn't afford to play along right now.  
  
Nigel gently pushed Kuki to the grass, making sure she was comfortable before climbing to his feet. "I apologize for this, but I really must be somewhere." Nigel jumped forward and kicked out with one foot, burning the rest of the fuel in his right boot. The thrust sent Numbuh 45 flying through the air to slam into the trunk of the tree house.  
  
Nigel scampered up the steel ladder to the Shuttle and jumped inside, seeing the pilot aiming his weapon at him. "Slimy stinking traitor." Numbuh 46 growled under his breath. Nigel jumped into the air just as the other operative opened fire. Nigel brought his left boot around and fired it up. The thrust only lasted a second, but it was enough to send the string of gumballs flying back at Numbuh 46, hammering him hard before Nigel came down and grabbed him.  
  
Nigel dragged him to the hatch on the bottom of the Shuttle. "Take care of Numbuh 3 until I return." He threw the operative to the grass far below and pressed the button to raise the ladder. He ran into the cockpit and turned the Shuttle skyward, heading for Australia as fast as he could make the ship move.  
  
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Cleopatra trembled underneath the stairs in the main entranceway, watching her indicator flash two lights at her over and over. She didn't know if this was such a good idea... she was barely able to sleep at night without remembering being so helpless... what was she supposed to do now? That damn indicator just kept flashing though, like it was trying to make sure do something...  
  
She stuffed it in her pocket when she heard someone coming down the stairs. A familiar voice spoke, combined with four others for a droll monotone that sent shivers down her spine. "The plan is proceeding exactly as we hoped. But Abigail's presence worries us."  
  
Another voice replied, sounding a bit like Abigail's except a bit older. "She's not part of the Kids Next Door anymore, she had to have been acting alone." The footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Then how did she find us?" The monotone voices asked. The older girl didn't respond for several minutes before the voices spoke again. "Keep your eyes open. Ultimate victory is too close to let those brats get in the way now."  
  
"Of course." The older girl's voice sounded tense, but the group didn't seem to notice. Their footsteps left the room, and Cleopatra heard the older girl curse furiously. "I'm getting sick of taking orders from those little punks... Father had better give me some damn good compensation when this is all over." She kicked the rail of the stairs.  
  
Cleopatra gasped in surprise, then slapped her hands over her mouth. Silence filled the room, broken only by the tic-toc of a large model of an antique grandfather clock in one corner of the room. She held her breath, waiting to see if she'd been discovered.  
  
Suddenly a black-skinned head appeared in the entrance to her hiding place. "I thought I heard something." She reached in and grabbed Cleopatra, dragging her out of the hole. "Let me guess, you're one of those Babies Next Door, and you came with Abigail."  
  
Cleopatra nodded slowly, staring up at her. "You're a little small though, they must be getting desperate for members." The older girl pushed her back on the stairs, where she stumbled to a sitting position on the second step. "Now what to do with you... I don't want to let those little brats know they were right..." she stopped and stared at Cleopatra. "Hey... you look familiar..."  
  
Cleopatra looked away from her, shaking despite herself. The older girl blinked and stood up straight. "I remember... you're the girl from the video." She reached out with one hand to touch Cleopatra's chin. Cleopatra shook her head and batted her hand away.  
  
"Don't touch me..." Cleopatra snapped darkly. The older girl kneeled down in front of her, shaking her head.  
  
"Look kid, if it was up to me I'd have the boy castrated, but things happen in war." She put a hand on Cleopatra's shoulder and gripped it tightly. The younger girl tried to shrug it off, but it held fast.  
  
"It's easy to justify anything by saying it's a war isn't it!?" Cleopatra shouted angrily, glaring up at the older girl. "Well it's not a war we wanted! We have to fight because YOU and everyone like you would rather keep us in line and keep us from doing ANYTHING! You all started it, and I don't care if it's a war or not..." her eyes filled with tears and she collapsed to her knees. "It still hurts..."  
  
She put her hands on the ground, sobbing for the first time since it had happened. She was a Kid Next Door... she was supposed to be tough. But it was too much to take for long.  
  
She sniffled slightly when she felt the older girl's hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. Cleopatra looked up at her slowly, surprised to find her eyes moist as well. "You're right girl... this has gone too far. I didn't join Father to do... THAT to you..." She held out one hand. Cleopatra sniffed and took it, letting herself he lifted to her feet.  
  
"How sweet." They both whirled to see the group of five from before watching them. Cleopatra instantly recognized Tex among the group, taking a step away from them. "We didn't think you were such a softy, Cree. We're sure Father will have much to say about this."  
  
"And who'll tell him? You? Not without any teeth you won't." Cree stepped forward and raised her arms. A small sound squeaked from one of the walls, and she let out a massive scream as she fell to the floor twitching. A small wire led back to the wall, feeding electricity into her.  
  
"Nothing can stop us now." The group grinned in victory as Cleopatra tried to move away, but suddenly something jammed into her arm and her body was overcome with pain. She collapsed to the ground, barely conscious as the group walked up to stands over them. Finally, she passed out.  
  
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Nigel Uno piloted the Shuttle as fast as he could, coming up on the coordinate he remembered from Chad's transmission. The large mansion hove into view, the tallest fancy spires reaching well above the treetops like the Delightful Children were hailing a ship in for a landing. It seemed too easy, but he wasn't about to waste this opportunity now.  
  
He set the Shuttle down in the forest around the mansion and disembarked, running as fast as he could toward the building. He slowed as he neared, creeping through the brush and fallen leaves until he was within sprinting distance. He was about to make a run for it when he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"Wait Numbuh 1, we can't just rush in." Nigel turned around to see Chad, Numbuh 274, behind him in the bushes. "If they see us coming inside they could hurt their hostages."  
  
"Hostages?" Nigel exclaimed. "Who's trapped inside?"  
  
"Numbuh 4 is still in there somewhere, I don't know where. I lost contact with her after they captured Abigail Lincoln." Chad replied. Nigel stared at him in shock, then turned back toward the mansion. What was Abby doing out here? She was supposed to be safely retired...  
  
He didn't have time to ask about it though. The ground underneath their feet began to shudder and the sound of a jet engine roared over the land. They looked up in surprise as a missile-like object roared into the sky, propelled by a massive blaze emanating from the engine. It sped up even more, leaving behind it a trail of thick black, almost ominous, smoke.  
  
"That must be the device to cause the nova... we have to stop it!" Chad ran toward the Shuttle Nigel had brought. Nigel watched him, then looked back at the mansion. He didn't want to leave them behind. "Numbuh 1, we have to stop that thing before it reaches the sun!"  
  
"You go after the missile, I'll see if there's anything I can do from here. A control panel or something." Nigel told him. Chad didn't look convinced, but he nodded and ran back toward the Shuttle without a word. Nigel turned and sprinted toward the mansion, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He slammed into the large double doors, throwing them wide open.  
  
A large man with a strange-looking weapon whirled on him, pointing it straight at him. "What kind of idiot barges in through the front door of a place like this?" He sneered.  
  
"One who's very, very pissed off." Nigel growled. The man fired the weapon, sending a glowing bolt right at him. But Nigel lunged to the side, rolling on the ground and grabbing a small steel tray from a nearby end table. He whirled and flung it at the man just as he fired again.  
  
The electrified bolt struck the steel, electrifying it as it flew toward the man's face. It slammed into him, and his body twitched as the electricity ran through his entire body on it sway to the ground. He collapsed to the floor, twitching and unconscious. Nigel turned away without a word and made his way down another hallway.  
  
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Kuki groaned and opened her eyes. Everything looked all fuzzy, like she was looking through dirty glass. She blinked to clear her eyes and shook her head, looking around again. She found herself inside of a Shuttle, speeding through space with stars floating serenely outside the window. Kuki blinked and sat up quickly, but the world started spinning around her so she fell back onto the bed.  
  
"Hey, she's awake." Kuki cringed as the loud voice echoed inside her head. A boy with the number 45 written across his chest-armor approached and stood over her, shaking his head reproaching. "Numbuh 3... the moon base is waiting for us to arrive." Kuki blinked again and shook her head, still unsure what was going on. "Of all the Kids Next Door from Sector V, nobody expected you to turn traitor."  
  
"Eugh?" Kuki grumbled. Her tongue felt like it was the size of her mouth... but it did seem to be getting better. She stared up at Numbuh 45 as another figure walked up behind him. Fanny held a large pipe over her head, and brought it down, clocking her fellow Kids Next Door operative hard enough to knock him unconscious. Kuki's eyes went wide in surprise.  
  
"They were takin' us to the moon base. I couldn't let that happen." Fanny dropped the pipe and turned to head toward the cockpit. "We're getting' out of the way before everythin' hits the fan. You're lucky Kuki, a lot of people won't make it like we will."  
  
Kuki opened her mouth to respond, but it felt like she had something lodged in her throat. She grunted and pushed herself up, stumbling through the Shuttle toward the cockpit where she leaned against the doorframe. "Wh... what's going... on?" She croaked.  
  
"Th' Kids Next Door are finished. We're stayin' away from them until the eclipse passes." Fanny replied. Kuki stared at her, only half-realizing what it was she was saying.  
  
"Why are they... finished? Can't we help them?" Kuki asked as her throat finally cleared enough for her to speak clearly.  
  
"Nothin' can help them now. It's not worth it anyway. We're all goin' to grow up eventually. Now is as good a time as any." Fanny shook her head as she turned the Shuttle back toward Earth. Kuki shook her head and stumbled into the cockpit, slamming into the chair and holding onto it tightly to keep from falling.  
  
"But... but if we can help... we should." Kuki insisted. Fanny looked about to reply, but a voice coming over the ships communication system interrupted her. It was dotted with static and barely audible.  
  
"If any*** c** ear me, I n*** assi****ce!" Kuki put her hands over her mouth, but Fanny simply stared at the speaker emotionlessly.  
  
"We have to help them!" Kuki exclaimed.  
  
"The signal is comin' from beyond the moon. If we go after them we'll be in the line of fire when the sun goes nova." Fanny replied. Kuki wasn't sure what that meant, but judging by the tone of her voice it sounded like a very, very bad thing.  
  
"Then we can stop that from happening." Kuki pulled the chair around and slumped into it to give her shaking legs a rest.  
  
"We have no idea how to stop the device that's going to cause it. We could very well destroy ourselves in the process of tryin'."  
  
"Better us than everyone else." Kuki spoke as if it was just a fact of life. Fanny looked at her strangely and said just one word.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Kuki stared back at her, opening her mouth to respond but having no idea what to say. She took a deep breath and just stared at the redheaded girl with a steady gaze. One phrase was all that could be said now. "I don't know."  
  
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Abigail Lincoln slumped down in her seat, staring at the monitor that projected the image of the missile hurtling through space. It even had a countdown timer displayed so that she knew exactly when the end would come. Thirty minutes from now, the missile would collide with the sun, resulting in a shockwave that would wipe out everything on the moon, and be targeted back down toward the Kids Next Door bases on Earth. In less than thirty minutes everything they'd done would be rendered useless.  
  
She sighed and hung her head. Some fabulous comeback she'd had... trapped here while this was all going on. Suddenly she heard a siren from out in the hall somewhere, along with a flashing red light under the door of her prison.  
  
"Intruder alert. Unauthorized person detected inside the mansion." A loud voice exclaimed. Abigail cocked one eyebrow curiously. That was just great... either Cleopatra or Chad must have been discovered too. "Locking down all doors and incapacitating prisoners."  
  
A piercing scream erupted from her throat as an electric charge ran through the steel chair through her body. Her body convulsed violently, yanking and pulling at the restraints that held her to the chair. Her wrists and chest were quickly bruised from the violence of her struggles, but there didn't seem to be any escape from the pain that wracked her body.  
  
Suddenly the door was pulled open and a pair of footsteps charged into the room. She couldn't see well enough to know who it was, but she could hear a frantic voice screaming. Soon the bonds that held her to the chair came loose and she flung herself to the floor, away from the electricity that had been ravaging her body.  
  
"Abigail!" She heard a voice above her as a pair of hands wrapped around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Come on Abby, say something." She groaned and opened her eyes, seeing Nigel's worried face hovering inches above hers. "Abby... are you okay?" He stroked the top of her head with one hand. Apparently her red cap had fallen off without her noticing.  
  
"Always..." Abigail muttered. Nigel smiled slightly and grabbed her cap off the floor, pulling it back onto her head. "What're you doin' here...? What's goin' on?"  
  
"I could ask you the same questions. Why are you here? You shouldn't have anything to do with this." Nigel sounded reproachful now that he knew she would be alright.  
  
"I was tryin' to warn you... Cree told me they were plannin' something..." Abigail looked at the monitor. The missile was still on its way toward the sun, and the timer was down to twenty minutes. "We don't have much time left..." She groaned and forced herself to a sitting position, ignoring muscles screaming at the grueling effort of just sitting up.  
  
"Abby..." Nigel kept his arms around her. Abigail looked over at him curiously as he put one of his hands on her cheek. "You have no idea what I was thinking when Numbuh 274 told me you were captured... I thought they'd done something to you." He shook his head and looked down at the floor with a sigh. Abigail stared at him, shooting another glance over at the monitor.  
  
"Nigel... we can discuss this later." She put one hand on his elbow. "But in nineteen minutes twenty seconds, hundreds of kids will be killed. We have to focus..."  
  
Nigel stared at her, then steeled himself and nodded, helping pull her up to a standing position. He held onto her until she could steady herself. "How do we stop it?"  
  
"I saw a control panel on Father's throne... if we can get to it we might be able to stop that missile from here." Abigail gave her friend a long look. Nigel nodded in determination and turned to head out with her, helping her hobble along down the hall, ignoring the flashing red lights.  
  
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"I'll never make it... this thing is too beat up from the landing in the forest." Chad growled as he watched the missile outdistance him on its way toward the sun. He had the throttle pushed all the way up, as fast as he could possibly get, but it still got well ahead of him. It was out of weapons range too... there was nothing he could do at this rate. There was no time to get a new Shuttle. There wasn't even time to retreat and take cover.  
  
He looked down in surprise when a voice sounded over his communication system at the same time as a blip appeared on his sensor screen, close enough to his Shuttle to break through the interference from the sun "We're coming to put a stop to that thing, stand back and watch little boy." Fanny Fulbright's voice told him mockingly as her Shuttle sped past his.  
  
"Numbuh 86?" Chad was surprised, but a steady grin spread across his lips as the Shuttle sped ahead of his. "Listen to me, you have to take out the engine, then nudge it to the side enough to push it away from the sun so that they won't collide."  
  
"Yeah yeah, we got it." Fanny's voice replied.  
  
"Thank you!" Kuki's voice exclaimed, with Fanny complaining in the background before the communication was cut again. Chad took a deep breath and watched as their Shuttle approached the missile. The main guns in the front moved to full extension, aiming straight at the missile's engines.  
  
"Come on girls, you can do it..." Chad muttered, clenching the arms of his pilots seat as the other Shuttle moved within weapons range. The main guns powered up before firing a bright blue blast of energy at the missile's engines. The blasts deflected moments before hitting the engines, flying back at the Shuttle. "No!" The Shuttle lurched to the side, but wasn't fast enough to get out of the way.  
  
The blast tore through the ship's hull, punching a hole straight through the ship. Debris flooded out of the ship, floating into deep space. He could hear the girls over the communicator screaming for assistance as they held on for dear life.  
  
Without even thinking Chad turned toward the other Shuttle, donning his space-gear and lurching out to the other ship. He used his thrusters to head inside, where he found Kuki and Fanny clutching their respective seats, keeping their eyes and mouths closed. He grabbed them both and floated back toward his Shuttle, closing the door behind him and taking them into the main room.  
  
The girls gasped for breath and opened their eyes, looking up at him. "The damn thing is shielded..." Chad muttered. "Why didn't I see that coming?"  
  
"What do we do now?" Kuki asked innocently. Neither Fanny nor Chad replied. They both knew there was nothing left to do... they were all doomed. Trapped here right beside the sun when it was about to go up... they were all as good as dead.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Nigel and Abigail rushed through the hallway toward where Abby remembered the throne room being. They rushed inside, and like she'd said the throne had a control panel on it... but the throne itself wasn't without an occupant. Cree sat on the seat, watching them through half-closed eyelids. Cleopatra sat on one of the five seats in front of her, also staring at them blankly.  
  
"What's going on here?" Nigel demanded, stepping forward. He stopped when he heard the sound of metal rubbing against metal. Cree and Cleopatra both cringed as Nigel now saw that their wristss and ankles were bound to the seat by metal shackles. Blades were coming out of the shackles, threatening to cut off their hands and feet like miniature guillotines.  
  
"Nigel Uno and Abigail Lincoln." Nigel looked up as a familiar figure stepped out onto the balcony above the set of thrones. Father glared down at them, his dark body glowing with barely contained fire. "One more step, and your little friends will suffer a fate worse than death." He held up a small lever, which was set to a lower position. No doubt any higher and the blades would sever their limbs completely.  
  
"Just get up here and stop that thing Abby..." Cree said through a grimace of pain. "I never wanted any of this to go so far..." she looked down at Cleopatra, who had her eyes closed and tears streaming down her cheeks. Father pushed the tiny lever up slightly. Both Cree and Cleopatra gasped in pain and blood started running down the chair from their hands and feet.  
  
"Don't move a muscle. Turn around and go back home, Kids Next Door. Your organization is finished, and if you leave now, I might spare your friend and the traitor." Father narrowed his eyes, staring down at Nigel and Abigail darkly.  
  
"We're not goin' anywhere." Abigail stepped forward beside Nigel, clenching her fists. "So you might as well give up before we come up there and kick yo' butt."  
  
Father laughed derisively. "Try it, and your sister suffers the consequences." He grinned. Nigel and Abigail growled, then stopped when they saw a familiar pair of yellow-eyed goggles behind Father. They were bent inward angrily, moving toward him.  
  
"Missile impact in zero minus fifty-nine seconds." A voice announced over the loudspeaker system.   
  
Father laughed, unaware of the boy creeping up behind him. "All four of you are doomed either way now. You should have taken my offer to let you leave when you had the chance." He grinned.  
  
"Leave... Cree... alone!" Hoagie leapt at Father hatefully, tackling him. Father exploded into flames as a defense mechanism, engulfing both of them as they hurtled toward the ground in a ball of fire and smoke.  
  
"HOAGIE!" Abigail, Nigel, and Cree screamed as the fireball slammed into the marble floor, rolling down the steps away from the thrones. Nigel and Abigail moved to help him, but the voice came over the loudspeaker again.  
  
"Impact in zero minus twenty-nine seconds." Nigel and Abigail exchanged a glance before turning and darting up the steps. Abigail started undoing Cleopatra's shackles while Nigel worked at the control panel to try to stop the missile. "Fifteen... fourteen... thirteen..."  
  
"Come on..." Nigel worked at the control panel while Abigail walked up to Cree, eyeing her appraisingly. They didn't say a word as Abby moved to undo her shackles, dropping them to the floor so Cree could stand up. She still had open wounds on her limbs, but had more important matters to worry about then that. "Damn... there's no override for the missile..."  
  
"Contact the moon base and tell them to evacuate." Abigail told him as she moved toward the back of the room.  
  
"Where are you going?" Nigel asked.  
  
"The targeting systems here know where the satellites are, I can at least spare the Kids Next Door bases on Earth by destroying those." Abby replied. Nigel nodded and she left. Nigel moved to contact the moon base and warn them to evacuate immediately. Nigel and Cleopatra stood silently, watching the monitor as the timer counted down.  
  
"Two... one... impact." The missile disappeared into the sun, and a ring of energy shot outward. It soon turned into a sphere of shining golden light that grew larger by the second. Cleopatra grabbed Cree's hand and held on tightly, shaking in fear.  
  
"It'll be okay girl..." Cree held her hand and watched the screen. She blinked in surprise when she noticed a dark splot against the white sphere. "What is that...?" Nigel looked up, then turned back to his screen on the throne's armrest.  
  
"Oh my God... there's three people on that ship. I'm patching into the onboard cameras." Nigel said. Soon a new image appeared on the monitor, one of Chad, Fanny and Kuki sitting around with solemn expressions on their faces. "They're caught in the path of the nova... they're going to be killed..."  
  
Cree stared at the screen, then looked back at the hallway the fireball had disappeared into. She had no idea what happened to Hoagie or father... in fact the Delightful Children seemed to be gone as well. For all she knew Hoagie could have died in the blaze... all because she'd brainwashed him with false promises just to get his cooperation.  
  
Cree shook her hand free of Cleopatra's grip and ran down the hallway away from them. "Cree? Where are you going!?" Nigel shouted after her. Cree ignored him, charging through hallways and passages until she reached the small hanger bay underneath the ground. She ran to her bike and climbed on, pressing the button to activate the space-flight mode.  
  
The small ship took off at amazing speed, not being weighed down by much of anything. It rocketed out of the atmosphere, leaving nothing between her and the nova. It glowed with brilliant golden light. It would have been beautiful if she didn't know it was so deadly. To her sides she could see blue blasts of energy coming from the Australian base, resulting in explosions in deep space that she knew were the reflective satellites. Abby was a better operative than she'd given her credit for...  
  
She passed by the moon soon after, where Shuttle after Shuttle was departing for the Earth after receiving the warning from Nigel. Cree took a deep breath and darted past the base, finally catching sight of the stranded Shuttle, which was dangerously close to the nova already. Cree streaked around it and did a 180, firing her full thrusters.  
  
A pair of claws extended from the front, clutching the Shuttle and shoving it back away from the nova. Her communicator opened a moment later. "Who is this?" Numbuh 274 asked.  
  
"Does it matter? I'm saving your butt whoever I am." Cree smirked.  
  
"Cree?" Kuki appeared on the screen, staring at her in surprise. "You're helping us!? Oh thank you thank you!"  
  
"Don't thank me yet... my engines aren't good enough to haul both ships. We're not fast enough to get to cover before we're overtaken." Cree swore softly to herself, seeing the nova coming up right behind her. She shook her head and sighed, closing her eyes. "Tell Abigail she did a good job this time... and... she was always a good sister..."  
  
"Huh?" Kuki asked curiously. Cree reached for the control stick and unhooked her pod from their with a quick maneuver, she detached the engines manually and steered her own pod out of the way. Her engines slammed into the Shuttle and propelled it forward faster than before, sending it hurtling toward the Earth. Cree, however, was stuck adrift in space. "Cree!?"  
  
"Tell her... I'm sorry for turning on her... and... I love her." Cree smiled slightly as the nova came up on her tail.  
  
"CREEEE****EE*E*E*****" The communication was overwhelmed by static as the nova swept over her ship, ripping it apart at the seams with her trapped inside.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
The nova decimated the moon base, but there was no loss of life caused by it... except for one. The rest of the Kids Next Door organization was intact, they would just have to rebuild the main base. Nobody knew what had happened to Hoagie and Father. They had found some bits of ash in the mansion, but they couldn't tell what it had once been. It might have been Hoagie... they just didn't know. And the Delightful Children seemed to have completely vanished without a trace.  
  
Now, they all stood three days after Nigel's birthday around a headstone in the graveyard. Abigail was never one to show emotions... to cry. But now as she realized her sister was really gone... that name carved in stone seemed like the only thing that could prove that it was indeed real. She broke down, sobbing into her hand as she never let herself do before.  
  
Nigel reached out to her, pulling her face against his shoulder. She cried against him, her shoulders shaking with each shuddering sob. Nigel wrapped his arms around her, his cheek resting against the side of her head. Kuki watched them with tear-stained cheeks, while Cleopatra, Fanny, and Chad stood on her other side. Abigail ignored them all however, too overwhelmed by this feeling she'd never wanted to feel...  
  
"Come on Abby... we should go..." Nigel patted her shoulders and turned to lead her away. Abigail sniffled and nodded, leaning against him as he led her back to the street. They couldn't use 2X4 technology anymore, since they were both teenagers now. So they had to walk back home.  
  
Kuki ran up behind them and grabbed Nigel's arm, forcing him to whirl around. "Tell me already!" She screamed. Nigel stepped back, surprised by this sudden verbal assault. "Tell me what the point of this is! We... we do all this... then we grow up... or... or we die!? Why do anything!? Why why why..." Kuki broke down, falling to her knees on the pavement and squeezing her eyes closed.  
  
Nigel exchanged a glance with Abigail, then sighed and approached Kuki. He knelt down beside her, putting his hands on her shoulders and moving his mouth close to her ear. Abigail couldn't make out what he said, but it must only have been a single word. Kuki blinked and stared at him in shock as he moved back and gave her a gentle smile.  
  
"Give it time..." Nigel told her, standing up. He turned back to Abigail and put one arm around her shoulders, leading her away from the cemetery so they could move on with the new life they were now forced to find together. Abigail sighed and leaned against him, closing her eyes and letting him lead her. She was tired after a long funeral... she would like to relax with him by her side... for a long time to come.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
She was alone now... Kuki was the last one left. Everyone else was gone... lost to the sands of time that none of them could ever outrun. She just wished she could figure out what Nigel meant? Why would he say that to her... did it have some hidden meaning? Was there something she just couldn't get right now? Would she ever get it? She just didn't know... but she knew her time would come some time not too long from then. She had to find out what he meant... somehow...  
  
THE END 


	6. Operation: FINAL

Operation: F.I.N.A.L.

Friends Invariably Never Allow Leaving

Damn those Kids Next Door... because of them the Delightful Children from Down the Lane were stuck here, hiding in this substandard building for their Father to come pick them up. They always had an escape plan when things went sour, and they'd agreed with their father that if anything happened they would meet here. But... he had yet to show up even after all this time.

Maybe he hadn't made it after all? Even they had lost track of him after him and that rat Hoagie Gilligan had vanished in a ball of fire. Maybe they had to face facts... admit that he was gone.

"My children." The Delightful Children whirled in surprise, looking up to see a dark figure standing on top of one of the rafters that held the roof in place. The kids stepped forward din unison.

"Father, you have finally arrived." The Delightful Children's voices were their usual monotone drawl, but their face lit up when they saw the dark figure above them. The figure jumped off the rafter, exploding into a ball of fire just before hitting the ground, landing in a crouching position. "Are we going to get revenge on those Kids Next Door now, Father?"

"No..." The figure moved to a standing position. The Delightful Children gasped and stepped back as one.

"Y... you're not Father." The Delightful Children backed away as the figure rose to its feet, glowing bright with white-hot fire.

"No." The figure grinned and raised one hand toward them. A stream of fire lashed out at the children, arching at the last second and leaving a trail around where they were standing. The kids huddled together in the center, staring at the figure angrily.

"Who are you? What have you done with Father?" They demanded, showing real emotion for once. The figure let out a barking laugh and walked toward them, raising one fiery hand to point its palm straight at them.

"If you're so worried about him, go with him." A stream of fire shot from the figure's palm, engulfing the center of the fire ring in a sea of flames. The Delightful Children let out a furious howl, breaking their usual grouping in their desperation to escape the blaze. They crawled from the fire and climbed to their knees, but the figure stood over them again with a wide, mocking grin.

No words were exchanged as the figure flung its arms out, sending flames roaring over every inch of the massive building. Soon the entire building began to collapse, trapping the Delightful Children and the figure inside. "One organization toppled... one to go." The figure turned away from the children, leaving them trapped in the midst of falling debris and flames. There was no escape this time... just like there would be no escape for the Kids Next Door.

So much changes as time progresses. Friends leave, and new ones take their place. Priorities change, personalities shift, and still time marches on marking change after change in a never-ending evolution. Kuki couldn't even recognize the team of which she was now the leader... she knew some of them, but they weren't supposed to be Kids Next Door. They were supposed to be normal little kids... but they'd grown, and joined the Kids Next Door.

Numbuh Five was Tommy Gilligan, Hoagie's little brother. His enthusiasm for aeronautics wasn't as great as his brother's, but he was still a rather creative boy, coming up with weapons that would have surely made his older brother proud if he hadn't disappeared several months ago. Cleopatra Winterson remained at her post as Numbuh Four, providing a voice of reason to counter Tommy's rather eccentric ideas.

Kuki's own little sister, Mushi Sanban, had taken her place as Numbuh Three. Kuki had been extremely surprised to see the girl signing up for the Kids Next Door, but she supposed she shouldn't have been. The little girl had loved tagging along on missions whenever she could. The spot of Numbuh Two was taken by a kid named Jared Jameson. He was rather rough around the edges, but he was able to calm down... sometimes. Kuki was, of course, Numbuh 1.

She gasped in surprise when a face popped up in front of her. This sent a lungful of bathwater into her lungs, forcing her to come up coughing and sputtering, covering her developing breasts. "Mushi!" Kuki yelled angrily, glaring at the younger girl as she hacked up the water in her lungs. "How many times have I told you not to walk in on people in the bath?"

Mushi laughed hysterically and put her oversized sweater sleeves together in front of her, putting on her best innocent face. "I didn't mean to do anything bad." She said softly.

Kuki grumbled and rolled her eyes, wiping a few stray strands of sopping wet hair out of her face. Sometimes she felt more like a babysitter than the leader of a team. "Okay... what's going on?" She asked, keeping one arm covering her breasts while the other held her hair out of her eyes.

"You have a visitor waiting in the living room. He's thirteen, but he says he's here to wish you a happy birthday." Mushi grinned mischievously. "And he's your boooyfriiieeend!"

Kuki growled and lunged for her sister, but the smaller girl twirled out of her way. Was Kuki ever this irritating when she was nine? "Fine, tell him I'll be right there." She muttered. Mushi giggled and darted out of the bathroom, leaving Kuki to climb out of the tub and dry herself off. She quickly pulled her now not-so-loose sweater on over her black tights and walked out to the main living room.

"This place looks different than I remember..." A pleasantly familiar Australian accent said from the living room as she approached the entrance.

"That's because it is different." Kuki stated as she entered the room. Wallabee Beatles turned to look over at her curiously. He looked like she remembered, though perhaps a little taller and lankier than before. "The tree house was burnt pretty bad a few months ago, but they managed to fix it so we could move back in."

"That would do it." Wallabee smiled ironically and walked over to her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So this is it eh? The last one of us turning thirteen." Kuki looked down nervously, so he looked around and changed the subject. "How ya been Kuki?"

"Pretty bad, actually." Kuki smiled sadly, looking down at the ground again. Wallabee cocked his head to the side and stared at her.

"That's not the girl I knew before." He reached out and put one hand on her shoulder. "You're not supposed to get this depressed. You're the happy one." He smiled.

"Well I..." Kuki stopped and looked to the side slowly. Mushi was lying on the floor, kicking her legs in a leisurely manner while she watched them with a dreamy smile on her face. "Bedroom?"

"Bedroom." Wallabee agreed, following her toward one of the adjacent rooms. They ignored the exclamations of 'ooohhhh' and the mock kissing noises from the other operatives, closing the door behind them. Kuki sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed. Her room was no longer full of plushy animals... in fact, it was almost completely barren except for the necessary furniture.

"Level with me Kuki. What's goin' on?" Wallabee walked over to her and sat down beside her. "I leave for a few months and it's like you're a different person." Kuki sighed and shook her head slowly before looking up at him.

"I guess... I am a different person Wally..." Kuki replied. It was a discussion she'd had with herself time and time again... always reaching the same conclusion. "I've grown up..."

"Well so've I..." Wallabee told her, looking around at the sparsely decorated walls as though looking for some sign of the girl he'd known months ago. "But that doesn't have to be a bad thing." He looked down at her again, putting one hand on her chin and making her look at him. "I can do things now that I couldn't do before... because I was too... immature."

"Like what...?" Kuki asked breathily, staring at him. The breath caught in her throat as Wallabee pulled her face closer to his, until their lips touched lightly. He let the kiss end a few moments later, leaving Kuki staring at him through half closed eyes. "I missed you Wally..." She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

She felt him wrap his arms around her, but suddenly he tensed up. Kuki blinked and looked up at him curiously. He was staring down at her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. "I... remember..." He gulped, his eyebrows furrowing worriedly. "I remember what I... did... I..."

"Ssshhh..." Kuki put one hand on his lips to stop him, smiling though tears were running down her cheeks. "I don't blame you..." She told him softly. He stared down at her, his eyes watering openly for the first time since she'd known him. It seemed she wasn't the only one whom time had changed.

The flames spread through the city like a lightning strike, engulfing everything in their path. Everything burned, from the steel on the cars to the pavement on the street. Like a plague it devoured everything in its path, sweeping through the town and leaving behind only ashes mixed with fragments of memories. Nothing was safe.

The jewel-blue sky went black as smoke floated up from the mass of ashes and destruction on the ground. Screams and sirens wailed, coupled with the gunshots of those too scared to realize that there was nothing for them to fight. The fire consumed them within seconds, moving on as if they had never even existed. It was almost as if the blaze had a target.

Death... destruction... revenge. They tasted so sweet, he couldn't believe he hadn't tasted them before. But his revenge wouldn't be finished until he saw one more group of faces fall beneath his blaze. The flames grew in intensity at the thought, surging through the landscape like a cascade of water, independent of fuel sources or the attempts of firefighters to stop it.

At last... the flames swept up the base of a familiar looking tree house. It had been months, but he was finally strong enough to come here. The flames swept into the main living area, where four children leapt in surprise to their feet. Their eyes went wide and screams erupted from their throats as the flames swept over them. They lurched to get out of the way.

Kuki opened her eyes and looked over at the door at the same time Wallabee did. They had both heard the screams, and smoke was pouring under the crack in the door. "What the Hell?" Wallabee muttered. Kuki lurched up from the bed and grabbed her robe from the nightstand, pulling it on before pulling her bedroom door open.

She screamed and stepped back as flames licked at her, pushing her back onto the bed so that her robe wouldn't ignite. Wallabee had pulled his boxers on by that time, and he pulled her back off the other side of the bed, backing away from the flames.

"Wallabee... you're here too. Good... that's one less to hunt down." A gruff... but familiar voice told them. A pair of eyes peered out of the flames, narrowed in pure hatred.

"Hoagie...?" Kuki whispered in awe, staring at the inferno in front of her. "What... what are you doing?"

"You... you Kids Next Door ruined everything!" Hoagie screamed, no longer even sounding human. "I was happy there with her! But you... none of you could let me move on! You want to make me miserable because I'm not a kid anymore!" Kuki stared at the eyes, then looked beyond. The living room was covered in flames, without an inch of clean floor.

"M... Mushi!" Kuki covered her mouth with her arms. "Cleopatra... Jared... Tommy..." Her bottom jaw started to quiver as she turned her gaze on the living inferno again. "What have you done?"

"Shut up!" The flames reared up and lurched toward them. Wallabee grabbed Kuki by the shoulders and dove behind the bed, protected for the moment by the physical barrier. Soon however the bed ignited and they were forced to scramble toward a window.

"Go!" Kuki shoved Wallabee out the window and moved to follow, but the fire crept along the wall and surged in front of her, scorching her arm and leg that were already through. Kuki screamed and fell back to the floor, clutching the burnt flesh and whimpering in pain.

"KUKI!" She heard Wallabee scream from outside the window, but there was no way he could possibly reach her.

The flames moved toward her, with those evil eyes staring down at her. "One... down..." A grin spread across what Kuki guesses was his face, pushing the flames out of the way. The fire spread toward her along the ground. She clenched her eyes shut, curling into a little ball and hoping that it would be over quickly...

"Kids Next Door... battlestations!" A high, squeaky, and blissfully familiar voice screamed. Kuki opened her eyes in surprise to see Mushi, Cleopatra and Jared rush into the room, each armed with a backpack full of pressurized water. The triple jets pierced the intense flames, striking Hoagie and sending up billows of steam from the contact.

"Agh! Go away!" Hoagie screamed, an intense flash sending the three kids up against the wall.

"Owwie..." Mushi groaned, reaching behind her to rub her back. Hoagie stomped toward them angrily, his dark, glowing body revealed now that the flames had been doused by the water. The little girl looked up at him as he approached, trying in vain to scoot away from him.

"No more Kids Next Door!" Hoagie raised his arm, which was instantly engulfed in flames once again. Everyone whirled when they heard Wallabee from outside the window.

"Ragh!" They heard him scramble frantically away from the window. Everyone else stared in confusion until they heard another voice, this one belonging to Tommy, Hoagie's younger brother.

"Bath time! Bwahahahahaha!" Tommy shouted in excitement as the whir of a massive engine floated in through the window.

"Tommy...?" Hoagie muttered softly. He didn't have time for a change of heart. A flood of water poured through the window with enough force to sweep everyone in the room out into the main living room. Kuki held her breath as she was swept along with the current, almost being swept clear off one of the base's many balconies.

She grabbed a bar and waited for the flood to subside before taking stock of the situation. Mushi, Cleopatra, and Jared had all managed to grab hold of whatever they could to save themselves. Hoagie was lying on the floor in a shuddering heap, looking more like Father than the loveable butterball she'd known before. That butterball was gone... Kuki's place was gone... everything was gone..."

"Kuki! Are you okay?" Wallabee rushed up to her and knelt beside her, helping her stand. Kuki leaned against him, looking around at the other Kids Next Door operatives. Despite the close call and the drenching they'd received, all four of them seemed extremely excited.

"How's THAT for a first mission?" Jared grinned in excitement.

"Oh that was the best! The fire was all pppsshhthththtpshshshsh! Then we busted in and shot it all down! Then the flood!" Mushi shouted excitedly, jumping up and down.

"A job well done I think." Cleopatra was the ever-calm one in the group, but even she had a wide smile on her face.

"All thanks to me." Tommy grinned. "And I'll never let you guys forget it!" He laughed.

"Oh you!" Mushi growled. "Arrogant little boogerhead!" She tackled Tommy, not caring about the mess or the body lying just feet away from them.

Kuki watched this all blankly, then started to smile as she looked up at Wallabee. "I get it..." She whispered softly, staring at him. "I finally get it..." She laughed and threw her arms around him again.

"Uh... get what, Kuki?" Wallabee asked blankly, wrapping his arms around her. Kuki didn't respond, she was too busy watching the other children laughing and enjoying their victory. This was what it was all about... this was why they'd always fought... why they had never given up. Not for the sake of kid-kind, not for some vain hope that they would one day actually win against all of the oppressive adults in the world.

Her voice had been high and frustrated... demanding an answer. "Tell me what the point of this is! We... we do all this... then we grow up... or... or we die? Why do anything? Why why why..." She'd muttered, not understanding anything. Nigel had walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, saying just one word. She hadn't known how complete of an answer he was really giving her at the time... but now she knew. It truly was the reason for all of this... the only reason she needed.

"Memories."

THE END 


End file.
